The faces of the dead

A police sergeant seconded to the Special Investigation Branch is haunted by a series of murders. Leeds, 1944. The buildup to D-Day is palpable everywhere, but that still leaves Sgt. Cathy Marsden plenty to do on the homefront. Her boyfriend, Tom, who's with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, comes home with a diamond ring he bought in Marrakesh, and she accepts his proposal before his unit heads off to support the army. Back at the office, Cathy's boss announces that a car has run off the road, killing two people. Its boot was full of goods stolen from an American military store. The driver was a minor crook and the woman with him a high-end prostitute. When the Yanks send Frank Graves from the Criminal Investigation Division to look into it, he immediately annoys Cathy by asking her to get him a drink. With her years of police experience in Leeds, she knows all the right people to ask for tips. Then a murder in town launches a brutal series of crimes. As thieves work to get rid of any competition for what could be a highly lucrative business in stolen goods, everyone's on high alert. Graves discovers that Corporal Lyle Brevitt, who works in the quartermasters' stores, has hooked up with a local who's helping him sell the goods, but there's no clue who it might be. Although Cathy's sources keep coming up with information, there are no obvious suspects. After Brevitt takes a shot at Cathy and Graves, her best informant tells her the local killer is Dandy Wilson. Every time they get close, the killers slip away, leading the SIB to suspect a leak they must close. Chock-full of historical detail, local color, and exciting adventures as the Allies prepare for D-Day. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.