by Alex Walters

Detective Inspector Ivan Winterman has been posted back to the sticks, perhaps as punishment for upsetting the powers that be. Expecting a quiet life, he instead has children’s mummified bodies turning up. While he sets about trying to solve the mystery of who they were and who murdered them, Winterman struggles with staff shortages, obstructive villagers, and memories of his own dead son. Oh, and the weather.

Walters portrays his characters beautifully – with believable language and behaviour for 1947 – while the shadow of the war, and operational difficulties it continues to cause, looms credibly in the near past. One detail I noticed, and very much appreciated, is Winterman’s forward-thinking attitude to women, which – despite the historical setting – is convincingly written.

I like all Alex Walter’s novels, and this is no exception. I’m looking forward to what’s in store for Winterman next – and hoping it involves Mary.

Buy now: paperback | kindle