Dear Old

An elderly woman has been foully murdered and left with a bunch of daffodils stuffed in her mouth.  DS Bev Morriss has been assigned the case despite being severely hung over.  She has DC Ossama Khan to help her.  A new DI has been assigned to the team, and Bev is shocked that it is a woman, Danny Shields.  Shields immediately puts Morriss in her place.

A gang of youths has taken to attacking and robbing elderly women.  One of the gang members doesn't really fit in.  DI Shields comes up with an ID for the victim, however the following day, Morriss proves her wrong when the victim's friend comes forward with a positive identification of who it really is.  The question that is bothering the team is, why leave daffodils at the crime scene?

Two of the gang members have been arrested, but they are close-mouthed.  Late that night Morriss is unable to sleep, and glancing out her window she sees a person dressed all in black watching the house she shares with her mother and grandmother.  Why?

Morriss discovers hidden photos in the home of the last victim.  They cover the life of a young girl from her birth for 16 years.  What is their relevance?  Khan wonders if there is a link between the four victims.  Morriss' grandmother is attacked one night at home when Bev and her mother are out.  Fortunately she is not badly injured, and she saw the attacker because he had taken off his mask.  Also, daffodils had bee scattered behind the home.

When a young man comes forward, saying he was the murderer, DI Shields accepts it, but Morriss doesn't buy it.  Author Maureen Carter presents an unsurprising conclusion with a surprising end to it.  A well written novel with plenty of twists and turns, hard to put down.