A Dedicated Man

"If you haven't encountered Chief Inspector Alan Banks before, prepare for a crash course in taut, clean writing and subtle psychology. And watch for those twists--they'll get you every time." Ian Rankin

Harry Steadman, a well-respected historian, is brutally murdered, his body half-buried in a farmer's field in the peaceful Yorkshire dales. Who would want to kill the kindly, dedicated scholar? Was it Penny Cartwright, a beautiful folk singer with a mysterious past? Harry's editor? The shady land developer? And is it possible that young Sally Lumb, locked in her lover's arms on the night of the murder, could unknowingly hold the key to the case? Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks investigates his second case in Yorkshire and unearths disturbing secrets behind the idyllic façade of this remote community.