Shadow of a Doubt

Too many plot contrivances mar this psychological mystery from British author McLoughlin (Unforgiven). In 2004, Devon reporter Angus Dillon joins the search for Julie Makepeace, a little girl who's gone missing. Angus, who's teamed with the girl's aunt, Sarah Makepeace, finds Julie's corpse buried in a shallow grave by a fallen birch tree. Angus, who's a suspect in the murder, remains under a shadow when the police are unable to solve the case. Five years later, Angus's solicitor wife, Joan, bumps into Sarah at a bar. The two women hit it off before discovering each other's link to Angus. With his career still in tatters, Angus nosedives even more after the body of a 15-year-old girl turns up in the same area and he again becomes the focus of the Devon police. Few readers will be surprised by the killer's identity. (Jan.)