If you’ve read this far in the series, you know these things:

- The main (good) characters and the plot will be very entertaining.
- An incredibly artificial, non-real-world timebox will be imposed upon any investigation. Various explanations for that timebox will be presented, but they will all be really silly.
- A truly improbable coincidence will occur, with respect to the cases being investigated.
- Abusive behavior by a boss will be ignored. It’s possible that boss will twirl his imaginary mustache and crack a whip as he abuses. By the next book, that abuse will be forgotten, and that boss will be called a good cop again.
- He will let his daughter down, and then be forgiven after she pouts a bunch.

So, why keep reading them? Well, like Mrs. Challinor, I imagine a better world can be reached, in my case if the author would try something a little different. In any case, on to book number eight!

A tense, gripping and fascinating story. Love the characters and their interaction with each other. A teenager disappeared in 2009 and an inquest is to be held to declare her dead. Great read

The discovery of three severed hands in a backpack is shocking enough but post-mortem evidence says that the hands were severed after death and the hunt is now on for a serial killer. As DI Ridpath is handed this impossible case, he is also charged with investigating the disappearance of a 16 year old girl over ten years earlier. Her mother is dying and the family want a death certificate. In the middle of this Ridpath is also grieving his wife and trying to be a lone parent to a sparky 12 year old.
I have enjoyed the Ridpath series so far and this book was no exception. The plot pulls in many social topics - Covid, self-isolation, social services and child welfare - as well as being an excellently plotted novel. It's not the most complex book in the world but for a light and enjoyable read it certainly fits the bill.

Spoilers ahead.

There are 2 cases in this book. Firstly, 3 severed hands are found in backpack in an abandoned house, the site of a previous children's home, where children were abused.

In another case, the Coroner's office is asked to declare the death of Jane Ryder, who disappeared at age 16. It has been 12 years since her disappearance. Nothing has ever been heard of her or from her and her parents want closure.

Ridpath is involved in both cases. In the severed hand case, they start off with trying to identify the hands, to see if it was a medical students' prank. If not, then to try to identify the hands by DNA or prints.

With the Ryder case, he starts off by interviewing all the people who knew her including her parents, friends, teachers, etc. An old picture of Jane at a festival is found. She is seen with a backpack, similar to the one with the severed hands. As the backpack is a very unusual one, it appears that the cases might be linked.

Mrs. Challinor, the Coroner is determined to hold the inquest in a few days by which time Ridpath must finish his investigation. Similarly the MIT is shorthanded and doesn't give Ridpath the time or help that he needs. But during an update, DCI Turnbull, who is Ridpath's superior suspects that Ridpath is close to breaking the case and steals the case from him.

As usual with this series, I have skipped the alternate POVs. I do not want to read them as I don't want to see what the crims are doing and it doesn't seem to make a difference. In fact, it seems to create more suspense as I don't see what else is happening.

One thing I thoroughly dislike is the repeated plot device of Ridpath's superior(s) throwing him under the bus and then finding that he's right in the end. This is DCI Turnbull's usual MO, with Superintendent Trent usually disbelieving Ridpath as well but giving him a few more days. By this time, Trent should honestly be putting her faith in Ridpath because he has been right in every book and Turnbull wrong in every book. Not only that but Turnbull is such an awful person and not conducive to a good working atmosphere at the MIT.

The ending is also a bit dodgy here. There are a few loose ends and a few things don't make sense. For example, they should have followed up on Jones (the inmate) more closely.

Apart from all of the above, this series has gotten better with every book. The build up of suspense in this book has been great. The author does a great job of making the characters real and interesting. And despite the great number of characters, he has managed to keep them all distinct and separate. I usually hate too much personal drama but the author has segued it well into this book. Overall, a great page turner that has kept me up late at night.

Another gripping and entertaining addition to this excellent series.
A solid mystery that kept me guessing, great characters and a well developed plot that kept me reading.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine