Working Girls

Fifteen year old Michelle Lucas has been found with her throat slashed in a park near her school in Birmingham.  From the look of it, she was on the game.  DS Beverly Morriss is one of the first officers on the scene along with Detective Superintendent Byford.  They are sickened by what has happened to the young girl.

Vicki Flinn is a mate of Michelle's, and is also on the game, but she doesn't have a pimp.  When she finds out what has happened to Michelle, she is happy to help find out who did this.

Later in the morning Byford gets an anonymous call from a man threatening to clean up the streets of prostitutes.  He claims that the people of the area in which Michelle was killed are tired of the used condoms, noise and other issues that the prostitutes bring.  They will do something if the cops don't.

Morriss' interview of Flinn provides the name of Michelle's pimp; Charlie Hawes.  Unfortunately his whereabouts is an unknown.  However, within 24 hours another girl is beaten within an inch of her life.  She is one of Hawes' working girls and a close friend of Michelle's, and Flinn has gone missing.  That same night, Morriss is mugged.  Meantime Hawes is busy.

It isn't long after this that another body is discovered in the same location.  This time the dead girl is the daughter of a cop.  When a man comes forward and admits to both murders, Morriss doesn't buy it, not even with his superior knowledge of the crime scenes and victims.

The case comes to a surprising close when the badly beaten girl provides Morriss with information.  Author Maureen Carter has written an exciting thriller, a very good read and I look forward to reading more of her works.