Death on Demand

DI Peter Shaw has just visited with his Chief Constable, Kieran Joyce, to discuss an upcoming pilgrimage to a nearby shrine.  Joyce also informs Shaw, that his DS , George Valentine has been diagnosed with lung cancer.  Joyce also tells Shaw to keep it quiet.

The following day, Shaw and Valentine are called out to the murder of a lady who would have turned one hundred that day.  They find that the woman had been pushed out of her care home to the beach and left with a plastic bag tied over her head.  The home had six security cameras, but it turns out that one was simply playing the same scene over and over again from a pre-recorded film.  Shaw and Valentine now have a prime suspect; the home’s administrator.

Another suspect is an artist who has been left fifty thousand pounds in her will.  The victim’s lawyer also informs Shaw that she had planned on changing her will the day after her birthday.

Unconnected to the death of the old woman are pairs of shoes that have been thrown up to hang on wires.  When removing one pair PPC Jan Clay sees the body of a young man lying in a nearby skip. There seem to be two gangs of youths at war in the community.

Checking out the house of a friend of the elderly woman who had died earlier, Shaw and Valentine find the body of a doctor who had been on hand when the friend passed away.  What is going on?  Could his death be connected to the gangs?

Author Jim Kelly has a few surprises up his sleeve in this thriller, which leaves the reader wondering if their own suspicions were correct.   A thoroughly enjoyable read.