The involvement of Detective Sergeant Washington Poe in the investigation into the brutal murder of a man in a Cardiff brothel is unusual. Poe is actively involved in investigation of serial killers and the request for involvement comes from the security services. The requirements of a police investigation and a security services investigation grind against each other from the start and Poe has no inclination to compromise. The investigation finds a connection to an unexplained and unsolved murder in a bank vault some years earlier. The investigation unfolds in a very engaging fashion, the reveals are cunningly staged and the clashing agendas of those around the agenda become clearer and the fighting becomes more vicious. The conclusion is satisfying sour.
Mixing in security services into a police crime story is a considerable risk. The methods and requirements for each are too different and they frequently serve to undermine each other rather than complement each other. M.W. Craven has solved this by utilizing the inherent conflict as a critical feature of the story. Neither process is allowed to dominate, an evolving compromise is developed that does not sit well with the cast and is great for the reader.
The second problem thar M.W Craven solves with an enjoyable flourish is the presence of a uber brilliant, socially awkward, information technology genius, Tilly Bradshaw. The problem is that in this digital age such a cast member is just too convenient, the digital equivalent of the hero escaping from a barrel full of snakes heading over a waterfall with a single bound to the shore. Tilly Bradshaw escapes being reduced to a plot device by first being introduced in a direct way that explains her circumstances and by being used very lightly and selectively. The story is a police officer driven crime story and M. W. Craven fully delivers on the requirements.
DS Washington Poe is a very enjoyable character, he is as awkward and difficult as and manager would endure for the results he delivers. Poe is given the space and time to be a interesting mixture. He is smart, competent, and confident without every being arrogant or unfeeling.
The plot mechanics are excellent. As the investigation moves forward a very nasty story starts to emerge, it is delivered in carefully judged slivers so that the critical connections are effective when revealed and have force and impact. Smart, engaging crime fiction.
