DI Leon Peterson’s Christmas at home is interrupted by the discovery of a body practically on the police station doorstep—but who would brutally stab Paul Easton, a popular youth worker, in the station’s underground car park, and why would suspicion fall on DS Jasmine Todd?
As they work over Christmas and New Year, Leon is forced to bring in other detectives, not all of them welcome additions. They soon realise there’s more to Paul Easton and his life than meets the eye. Conflicts within the team extend both on a personal level and how they view the suspects. No one appears to be who they seem.
For Leon, this case hits home in more ways than one. Yet again he revisits his past as they hunt for Paul Easton’s killer. Meanwhile, he has his own decisions to make regarding his future in the force.
There’s a scene in this book that could have been pulled straight from The Wire—chaotic and violent, with bullets flying and buildings burning. I wasn’t expecting that level of intensity in the second book of an LGBTQ+ police procedural with a hint of a budding romance, but it works. The moment comes about halfway through, and yet it sets the tone for the entire book. The overarching mystery is darker than the one in Murder Under Construction, giving the story higher stakes.
Even with that darker backdrop, it’s Leon and the people around him who make the book shine. Leon is quickly becoming one of my favorite modern detectives. I love spending time with him, watching how he works with his team, and seeing how his determination pushes him forward. He’s not a genius on the level of Poirot or Holmes, but he doesn’t need to be—his persistence, loyalty, and instinct for justice make him just as compelling.
Two books in, I find myself admiring Leon more with each case. If book three continues in this direction, I’ll be falling even deeper in love.
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