THE DEAD

TITLE: THE DEAD
AUTHOR: INGRID BLACK
Pages: 314
Date: 21/02/2009
Grade: 4+
Details: no. 1 Saxon Mystery
Library

Saxon used to be a FBI agent, but has now been living in Dublin for years where she has a relationship with Chief Superintendent Grace Fitzgerald.
Five years ago they were trying to catch Ed Fagan who had become notorious as the serial killer called the Night Hunter when he just disappeared.
Now a letter to a journalist announces his return, and soon a first victim is discovered. The only problem is that Saxon knows that Fagan is dead and that somebody else must be doing the killing. The police are convinced it must be Fagan though, and are very reluctant to look elsewhere. And how do you stop a killer when you're looking in the wrong places?
With misdirection following misdirection, more people are killed and by the time Saxon does arrive at the right conclusion it may well be too late to safe herself.
This was a fun book because of the differences in law enforcement between America and Ireland, and the understandable frustration that leads to for the Americans involved.
With lots of undercurrents and multi-layered relationships this was a good mystery as well as a gripping read, and I'm looking forward to my next murder investigation on familiar territory.