Hard Time

In December of 1985 a baby girl was abandoned in the toilets of Stafford town centre.  The reader wonders how this is going to tie into the story.

We then jump to modern times, when former cop Robbie Crawford and his do are run down by a vehicle and left for dead.  DS Bev Morriss is attending the funeral when her pager buzzes.  A five year old boy has been snatched from his school by someone who looked like his mother.

While DI Mike Powell and DC Carol Pemberton are questioning the parents, a ransom note is dropped through their mail slot, telling them not to involve the police or the boy dies.

A friend of Morriss', who she trained with, Jack Pope, has become a crime reporter, unbeknownst to her.  She accidentally has provided him with crucial information that the police want to withhold.

That night another former cop dies in unusual circumstances.  Detective Superintendent Byford has now lost two former colleagues.  The kidnapping case is not making any progress either.  Byford feels that a crime boss may have knowledge that ties the two together.

When the body of a little boy is found, fears abound that it is the kidnap victim.  However, it turns out to be someone different, thereby creating a new case to follow.  Morriss receives news shortly after this that another cop has been murdered.  Is Byford next on the list of cops to be taken down?

The concluding pages of Maureen Carter's "Hard Time" are tense and exciting.  A very good read.