This is the 10th book featuring DC Simon Serrailler. I think I have only read one or two others and can't remember much about them at all, only that I enjoyed them. So I was keen to read this latest installment and felt confident I could pick it up with no problem, despite not having followed Serrailler's career through the intervening eight books. The first surprise was that he's lost his arm!

The novel begins with a young couple stranded at night in bad weather. Their car has broken down and they knock on the door of an isolated house asking to use the phone.

This seemingly innocent incident leads to a succession of events which are intriguing, but ultimately are overtaken by other episodes in the book. Simon's sister is working as a private GP and has her own investigation into the mother of a new baby.

While this book may have been a closer reflection of real life events where investigations don't have dramatic revelations etc, I missed the tidiness of a traditional crime novel. The burglary investigation fizzled out, I felt. And the conclusion to the situation with the mother and baby also felt an anticlimax.

But this was an enjoyable read. I loved it! And I will return to earlier Simon Serrailler stories.