The Cyclist

Sullivan’s shrewd second procedural featuring neurodivergent detective sergeant George Cross (after The Dentist) opens with Cross being called to the site of a Somerset demolition crew’s grisly discovery. When the crew leads Cross to the male corpse wrapped in polythene that they found in an abandoned garage, the meticulous DS deduces that the victim is a cyclist, based largely on his tan lines and “disproportionately muscular thighs.” Eventually, Cross’s colleagues identify the dead man as Alex Paphides, who had been abusing performance-enhancing drugs while training for a challenging race, and may have gotten himself in hot water in the process. Aiding Cross in investigating Alex’s death is his partner Josie Ottey, a single mother who must frequently apologize for Cross’s brusqueness and distaste for social pleasantries. Early in the novel, Ottey observes that Cross’s empathetic deficiencies make him a good interrogator (“Suspects were unnerved by his demeanour and often made the mistake of letting it encourage them to underestimate him”), and Sullivan brilliantly exploits those same qualities to make Cross a memorable protagonist. Clever plotting, a robust suspect list, and scrupulous fair-play detection add to the fun. This series continues to impress. Agent: Peter Straus, RCW Literary. (Jan.)