Dead of Night

November 3, 2014
In British author Collett’s gripping seventh mystery featuring Birmingham Det. Chief Insp. Tom Mariner (after 2013’s Blood and Stone), the police are slow to investigate the disappearance of Grace Clifton, the 18-year-old daughter of a domineering local council leader, because they assume she’s a runaway. When a package addressed to a police officer turns out to contain the clothes that Grace was last seen wearing, “pressed and perfectly folded,” the real detective work begins. Meanwhile, Mariner must break in a new team while juggling a fresh love interest and the care of his grown autistic foster son, Jamie. Mariner feels the strain, especially after another young woman goes missing and the pattern repeats itself. Collett carefully depicts the slow, plodding drudgery of actual police work amid a web of red herrings, blind alleys, and glimpses of Mariner’s private life. Procedural fans are in for a really good time.

January 1, 2015

DCI Tom Mariner of the Birmingham (UK) police is still working on pulling his new investigative team together when a seemingly normal case goes sideways. Eighteen-year-old Grace Clifton has vanished, like teenagers her age can do. However, not one person has come forward as a witness to her last activities. With an obviously overbearing father, Mariner is sure that Grace has taken off on her own. Then her freshly cleaned clothes arrive at the station and another woman disappears. VERDICT In his seventh book in the series (following Blood and Stone) Mariner must deal with a multitude of family interactions, both personally and professionally. A strong pace and multidimensional characters keep this British procedural moving briskly.

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November 1, 2014
When 18-year-old Grace Clifton vanishes, DI Tom Mariner is called in. That Grace is the daughter of a powerful town councillor only adds to an already stressful case. But when a package containing the missing woman's clothesall freshly launderedarrives, the case is elevated to a new level. Then another woman vanishes, and Tom knows if he doesn't find at least one promising clue, his entire career could be in danger. Finally, a breakthrough leads to the arrest of a suspect, but is he the right person? Cleverly plotted, with an unexpected shock ending, plenty of suspense, and a likably genuine cast of characters, this is a strong new entry in an increasingly popular police-procedural series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)