Taciturn, a man of few words, Detective Inspector Tremayne battles on, solving murders with grit and determination. His offsider, Sergeant Clare Yarwood, wasn’t what he wanted initially, but the two formed an unlikely bond after they nearly died in the first book in the series. 

In the time they had been together, she realised he was a man with little interest in the world. A cigarette in his mouth, a beer in his hand, and a murder to solve was about the happiest she ever saw him, and even then, he could hardly be regarded as one of life’s most sociable. And as for reading? The occasional police report, an early morning newspaper, and the back pages for the racing results.