cover image The Wages of Sin: A DS Matt Arnold Mystery

The Wages of Sin: A DS Matt Arnold Mystery

Sarah Cox, . . Severn, $28.95 (252pp) ISBN 978-0-7278-6764-3

Readers who can concentrate on the plot and ignore the author's tendency to slap on the angst with a trowel will enjoy Cox's second novel to feature Det. Sgt. Matt Arnold of Scotland Yard (after Feb. 2009's Blood Is Thicker ). The police initially disregard an overwrought wife's report that her husband is missing, but the man's body soon turns up in a London park, mutilated in a way that links it to a similar murder. Matt is under extreme pressure, from his bosses and the press, to stop the serial killer—while glimpses inside the murderer's mind reveal that the ghastly executions have just begun. Meanwhile, Matt is alienated from his wife, Jo, because of his fanatical devotion to his job, and their son is in a coma after being struck by a hit-and-run driver. Cox, herself a London police officer, effectively builds tension by moving from one character to another, revealing vital information just out of Matt's reach. (Oct.)