The Red Herring

The world is on the brink of World War III, Khrushchev and Kennedy are at loggerheads over Cuba, and everyone is on tenterhooks.

DCI Charlie Woodend, DI Bob Rutter and DS Monika Paniatowski have been called out to a farm where the body of a woman has been found in a pig sty; the pigs have been breakfasting on her body.  A handbag found nearby gives the team her identity.

Paniatowski's investigation leads her to the pub where the victim's car had been left.  She finds out that the victim had met up with an American from the nearby air base.  She also finds out that the victim spoke to other men who were also in the pub.  Rutter gets a surprising reaction from the London policeman he speaks to when he mentions to the name of the victim to him.

Meantime the daughter of the base's squadron leader has gone missing from her school.  Woodend and Rutter are pulled from the murder investigation to head up this one, while Scotland Yard is going to send someone to work with Paniatowski on the murder investigation.  Paniatowski runs into roadblocks when she speaks to an officer on the American air base.  He is obviously more concerned about the current international situation than helping the murder investigation.

Rutter wonders if the two cases might be linked; the murder victim taught in the school from which the girl has gone missing.

DCI Jack Horrocks is the detective sent from Scotland Yard to work with Paniatowski.   Monika finds him very different to work with.  Rutter meantime, has determined who one of the kidnappers could be; however, when he gets to the place of work, the man has apparently been taken by two policemen already.

Author Sally Spencer has written a tale that has a superbly twisted plot.  This novel is well titled.  An entirely enjoyable read.