London 1969: A detective in love. A crime of passion
The devil: She made a profit from rich men. They paid for her youth. She paid with her life.
The angel: To investigate the prostitute’s murder, DS Cathal Breen isn’t scared to question powerful suspects.
The fall: But when a mysterious man from MI6 calls, Breen begins to fear he’s uncovered a spy scandal.
And then Breen’s girlfriend Helen Tozer, with her ex-copper instincts, gets dangerously involved. Right or wrong, Breen knows he has too much to lose. He can have no sympathy for the devil.
“William Shaw is a superb, flowing writer, both of police procedure and personal relations, and perhaps England’s most adept at using dialogue to propel his always intelligent stories.” Marcel Berlins, The Times
“This book contains the kind of writing – silky, seductive, unobtrusive – that carries one along almost willy-nilly. I picked the book up to get a taste of it and an hour later was still reading this clever, absorbing police procedural.” Jessica Mann Literary Review
“Shaw’s talent for sensuous storytelling comes to the fore as he sets this fourth book in the series in the summer of 1969 . . . A first rate drama. Shaw goes from strength to strength, while making it all seem effortless.” Geoffrey Wansell Daily Mail
“The debate about whether or not crime fiction should aspire to literary values rumbles on, but when a writer demonstrates a consummate use of language and can also incorporate the key imperative of the thriller – page-turning – it’s a cause for celebration. William Shaw is in that select breed.” Barry Forshaw Financial Times
“A gripping, complex plot, the subtle period details and well-drawn characters make this a real winner.” Simon Cooper, The Sun
““Teenager’s violent, evasive killer and Cathal and Helen’s evolving, unsettled relationship create a new level of suspense for this must-read series of detail-saturated procedurals.” Booklist