The politician A DS George Cross Mystery

Sullivan's triumphant fourth whodunit featuring George Cross of the Avon and Somerset police (after The Patient) finds the neurodivergent sleuth investigating the suspicious death of an ex-mayor. Cross is called in after Peggy Frampton, the former mayor of Bristol, is found bludgeoned to death in her bedroom. His colleagues, including his boss, DCI Ben Carson, are sure that Frampton was the victim of a burglary turned violent, but Cross thinks otherwise, citing the absence of aspirated blood near Frampton's head as evidence that she was methodically choked before being bludgeoned. On his own, Cross researches the politician's many enemies--including a real estate developer whose project she'd thwarted--for clues about who had motive to kill her. In the process, he finds tantalizing leads buried in the controversial advice blog Frampton launched after leaving politics. Sullivan puts more suspects into the mix than in previous entries, encouraging readers to flex their armchair sleuthing skills, and he continues to mine charming comedy from Cross's literal-mindedness (when meeting Frampton's husband, Cross's partner advises him to offer condolences rather than "comment on how much shorter than his wife the man is"). This series only gets better as it goes. (Mar.)

When a politician is murdered in southwest England, the daunting number of suspects means it will take a superb sleuth to solve the case. Enter DS George Cross. Former Bristol mayor Peggy Frampton is found dead in her bedroom, the apparent victim of a brutal burglar, so Cross and his partner, DS Josie Ottey, are called in to investigate. Cross, made hypersensitive to detail by his autism spectrum disorder, is the lone voice positing that the burglary might have been staged by a calculating killer. The fact that Cross's crusty superior, DCI Ben Carson, disagrees and opts to take the lead in the investigation is just another challenge to the unflappable detective. Convincing others that Frampton was murdered is an uphill task, but one the indomitable Cross is up to. Sullivan, a veteran screenwriter, keeps the story moving briskly with abundant dialogue, much of its humor coming from Cross' formal, deadpan delivery and the comical ways other characters misinterpret him. The investigation includes many interviews with persons of interest and the meticulous gathering of clues. Frampton's ongoing dispute with a property developer and several years in the public eye add up to a plethora of suspects. Additionally, in this fourth case, Sullivan widens the scope of the series with the surprise appearance of Cross' estranged mother, a bit of thawing in the detective's previously cool relationship with Ottey, and the addition of a major new character, jaunty forensics tech Michael Swift, who spars with Cross from the get-go. A top-notch whodunit with a Holmesian sleuth and a knowing tang. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.