From Publishers Weekly
In Bannister's seventh superior police procedural set in the town of Castlemere (The Hireling's Tale, etc.), Det. Insp. Liz Graham and Supt. Frank Shapiro must scramble to identify a psychopath whose alarming hoaxesDtainting a yogurt container and a school water supply with jellyDindicate how easily he could do real harm to the entire community. Then a young man turns up at the local hospital with what appears to be cholera, contracted from a bottle of contaminated cough syrup. Frightened townsfolk start to panic. Meanwhile, Det. Sgt. Cal Donovan is on forced holiday, exploring local waterways in his houseboat with his dog and battling a nasty cold. When he disappears, his co-workers fear that he, too, has been infected with cholera. Instead, he has sought refuge in the little village of East Beckham, a community that had fought for its survival from a similar threat years earlierDand that is highly suspicious of outsiders, including Donovan. In this crowded ensemble, the author skillfully delineates the main characters: Shapiro through his wit, Graham through her ambition and drive and the loner Donovan through his captivation with a small, odd child. Lovers of police procedurals will appreciate the good detective work that relies on intellect as much as muscle power. A simple, atmospheric jacket design offers a perfect complement to the text. (Nov.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
A town gripped by fear. It begins with contaminated yogurt in a supermarket. Next, the tampering of showers in a girls' locker room. Caustic soda in baby powder. Cholera in cough medicine. An anonymous note promises much more -- unless the town of Casltemere pays a ransom of one million pounds.
Superintendent Frank Shapiro, recovering from a bullet wound, has been cleared for desk duty. But with Sergeant Cal Donovan on holiday cruising the Castlemere Canal, he must rely on Inspector Liz Graham as hysteria rises and the fine line between savagery and civility grows narrower by the day.
The situation worsens when the detectives learn Donovan's abandoned boat has been found near the tiny village of East Beckham -- and that the volatile sergeant is believed dead by the hand of the blackmailer. Yet stranger twists are still to come, for guilt and innocence wear ever-changing faces, as does evil.
