The Body in the Stairwell
Nick Louth
274 pages
Published on September 22nd, 2022
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This is the tenth book in the excellent DCI Craig Gillard police procedural series set in Surrey, England. I’ve read them all in order, but each is a separate mystery or thriller and this would work fine as a stand-alone if you’re new to the series. This one has Gillard involved in a complex money laundering case, which puts an innocent family at risk. This has become one of my must-read British crime series, as Gillard and his team deal with an unusual array of criminal activity, and some very unusual criminals.
Detective Chief Inspector Gillard is reluctantly seconded on to the investigation of a crooked lawyer, Jonathan Hale, who has been hiding out in Surrey with his family after ratting out some nasty American drug dealers in exchange for a reduced sentence. The police have him under surveillance in the hope that he will lead them to other criminals further up the chain, which Gillard feels is using resources better spent elsewhere. Meanwhile, in a maximum security penitentiary in Arizona, the nastiest drug dealer of them all, known as The Reptile, is quietly plotting his revenge…
Gillard not the main part of the story in this one, although we do get glimpses of his private life, but as always he plays a key role. The focus is instead on conflicted disbarred money property lawyer Hale, who regrets the greed which brought monstrous psychopath Richard Tyler into his life, but is unable to find a way to keep his spoiled wife and child in the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed without returning to laundering money. Then there’s Zoe and Lucy, a pair of sisters who will make you afraid to ever have children – if it’s not too late already… The cat and mouse game, as Tyler cunningly locates his prey, and then sets his trap, was actually quite stressful to read about, and my heart was actually racing in the last third wondering whether they would all survive. Speaking of cats – I got very worried about poor Socks, but nothing terrible happens to him other than some very undignified photos on Instagram.
As with the previous book, this one is set in the midst of the Covid pandemic – not dwelling on it, but accepting it as part of modern life – it certainly doesn’t get in the way of the plot. The way the villain uses teenagers’ addiction to social media to carry out his plan should send a chill down your spine. 4.5 rounded up for good writing and exquisite tension. Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for the ARC.
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