Deadly Virtues, Gabriel Ash & Hazel Best

First in the British police procedural series: “[A] stunning, paranoia-doused psychological suspense novel guaranteed to keep readers glued to their seats.” —Library Journal (starred review)

The town of Norbold, England is famous for its low crime rate, thanks to the zero-tolerance policy of Chief Superintendent John Fountain. And Norbold’s newest police recruit, Hazel Best, is happy to help keep it that way. But numbers never tell the whole story, do they?

Jerome Cardy knew he was going to die. He also knew that it would be made to appear like an accident. He might not be able to prevent it, but Jerome was determined to make sure that someone knew what was going to happen—even if that someone was Ash, a deeply introverted man with a concussion lying with his dog in the cell next to him.

After Jerome is found beaten to death by a fellow inmate, Ash can’t forget Jerome’s last awkward words to him: “I had a dog once. Othello. That was its name. Othello.” Certain they hold a hidden message, Ash is determined to find the truth. But it won’t be easy—because no one believes his account of that night. And now Hazel Best must decide whether pursuing the truth is worth her career in this “captivating” crime thriller from “one of the genre’s best” (Booklist).

“Hazel is a straight shooter, pragmatic but principled . . . But the most remarkable character here is Gabriel Ash, a recovering trauma victim and the baffled recipient of a coded message . . . Gabriel is the kind of character who takes satisfying shape before your eyes; and Hazel’s is the kind of classic detective work that’s always welcome in a mad, mad world.” —The New York Times

“[Jo Bannister is] one of the unsung treasures of the mystery genre.” —Chicago Tribune