The patient A DS Cross thriller

Sullivan's third police procedural featuring neurodivergent detective sergeant George Cross (after The Cyclist) is another winner. After noticing the same woman sitting in the reception area of Bristol's Major Crime Unit for three consecutive days, Cross introduces himself. The woman says that she's been written off by the authorities for claiming that her daughter, a recovering heroin addict named Flick Wilson, was murdered via an intentional overdose, despite a lack of concrete evidence. Cross is sympathetic, but he initially chalks up her claims to grief over losing her child to addiction. When he learns that Flick died with her two-year-old child in the next room and made no arrangements for her care, though, it arouses his suspicions, and he's further intrigued when an autopsy reveals that Flick overdosed on medical morphine, which is difficult to obtain on the street. Aiding Cross's inquiry is retired DCI Esther Moffat, whom he meets while visiting his elderly father in a care home. Sullivan continues to find fresh angles on the ways Cross's autism makes him socially awkward but professionally successful, and he delivers a crafty solution to the novel's core mystery. This series deserves a long run. Agent: Peter Straus, RCW Literary. (Feb.)

Against all odds, a nonconformist detective reopens and solves a sordid murder case. Distraught mother Sandra Wilson accosts DS George Cross outside the Major Crime Unit in Bristol with a compelling sob story. Sandra alone believes that the death of her daughter, Felicity, was murder rather than the result of the accidental drug overdose that police said justified closing the case. Cross, who's on the autism spectrum, displays no emotion but listens attentively and questions police staffer Alice Mackenzie and pathologist Clare Hawkins before deciding to pursue the matter and enlisting the help of his partner, DS Josie Ottey. His officious boss, DCI Ben Carson, is unsupportive, to say the least: "It is not our job to uncover crime…where there is none." The prime suspects in Flick Wilson's death include her troublesome ex-boyfriend, Simon Aston, and Danny Stokes, her sleazy ex-boss at the dry cleaner's where she worked until she was fired. In Sullivan's third crisp DS Cross mystery, the murder investigation is shrewdly counterpointed by Cross' strenuous efforts to find suitable housing for his obstreperous father, Raymond, who's about to be released from the hospital after having suffered a fractured hip. Raymond, who's a hoarder, vociferously objects to moving in with his son, and Ottey more gently agrees with his opinion. On this issue, Cross displays surprising emotion, a compelling contrast to his impassive manner on the job. Though Sullivan's series is rooted in its precise unravelling of crime puzzles, the added dimension of the personal stories of the incomparable Cross and his colleagues makes it something special. A Holmesian sleuth reveals surprising heart while solving a baffling crime. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.