A Little Death

Those who love to shuffle the pieces of a puzzle, eagerly anticipating that aha moment when the solution is revealed, will relish British author Cross’s third mystery featuring forensic psychologist Dr. Kate Hanson (after The Art of Deception). When the badly decomposed remains of 19-year-old student Elizabeth Williams are found in a shallow grave in a field outside Birmingham, Hanson—who teaches criminology at the University of Birmingham and is a consultant for the city’s Unsolved Crime Unit—joins the investigation. Curiously, the cause of death is inconclusive in the postmortem. With each interview, the possibilities shift and suspects emerge and recede only to reemerge in a new light. When an attempt is made on another young woman’s life, pressure is put on Hanson and the other team members to find the killer, and fast. Who murdered Elizabeth matters less than the why to Hanson, a strong lead readers will be able relate to. Agent: Camilla Wray, Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film Agency (U.K.). (May)