by Lesley Horton (Author)
It's Halloween and a body has been found at Druids Altar, a local beauty spot high on Harden Moor. The victim is Shayla Richards, a young black girl, and the post-mortem reveals she was suffocated and sexually assaulted; photographs of her body at the crime-scene suggest a ritual sacrifice. DI John Handford and DS Khalid Ali soon discover that Shayla's past is anything but straightforward. Over a year before her death, she accused a teacher of a sexual attack while in school. Although the teacher was suspended, the case collapsed when it came to trial. Then events take a more sinister turn when Handford discovers his prime suspect seems to be a man without a past. In fact, he doesn't even appear to exist...
Format: Paperback
Pages: 368
Edition: New Ed
Publisher: Orion
Published: 04 May 2006
ISBN 10: 0752865765
ISBN 13: 9780752865768
Book Overview: The third, powerfully compulsive, DI Handford investigation. Lesley Horton is one of the most compelling and provocative female crime-writers in the UK. Her series characters, DI John Handford and Sergeant Khalid Ali, are a fascinating, complex pair of investigators. With the evocative Yorkshire setting, Lesley Horton's novels give an assured and convincing portrayal of the tensions within a multicultural community. 'Lesley Horton brings an authentic, contemporary flavour to a classic police detective story and writes with honesty and insight' Manchester Evening News. 'On top of coming up with a gripping storyline that is far from your average whodunit, Horton also manages to incorporate the tensions and attitudes between Bradford's Asian and white communities and the resulting problems and dilemmas, along with introducing the likeable character of Inspector Handford' Morning Star. 'John Handford could turn out to be one of crime fiction's more interesting detectives - and Horton could become a household name' Crime Time.