The Shadows in the Streets

A seventeen year old girl has been found in a canal near Lafferton.  Another older girl, has come to the police station to report that she had seen the victim working the streets earlier and that one of her mates is also missing.  DI Franks heads up the investigation.  He has two new members on his team;  DS Ben Vanek and DC Steph Mead.

DCS Simon Serrailler is called back from vacation to oversee both cases.  Vanek is if the mind that both are related and he has only one culprit in mind for both.  However, lack of evidence prevents Vanek from charging him.  A few days later the community is in a turmoil when another prostitute goes missing.  Fortunately, a few days later she is found alive, but badly injured.

However, the same morning that the girl is found, the wife of the new dean of the cathedral goes missing.  Not long after this a woman who regularly cycles to work simply disappears.  Is her disappearance connected to the killings?  If so, how?  She wasn’t a prostitute.

Author Susan Hill has other questions that the investigative team needs to answer, but she keeps the answers to those questions out of sight for the team, hinting at possibilities, but providing the reader with a surprising conclusion.  A thoroughly enjoyable read.