It was a fight between two homeless men that resulted in a death-or was it. Certainly the uniformed policeman thought it was and had already dismissed its importance. But not Detective Sergeant George Cross, who noticed objects of value at the corpse's side...if it was just two homeless men fighting, why were the cider cans still there?
Cross, stationed at the Bristol police precinct, was one of the best detectives on the force. He did not make inferences or suppositions, but was completely driven by provable facts, and did not miss a clue, or discard "unnecessary" evidence. He also was at his best interviewing suspects at the precinct...he never ran out of time or patience when grilling a client until he got to the truth, and his case for the jury was airtight.
The victim was id'ed as a dentist who had disappeared after trying to prove that his wife was murdered, and that the police were botching the investigation. He had already been declared dead exactly seven years after his disappearance, immediately after the family reported him missing. Was the family involved? Did the case harken back to a previous murder in the town, as both involved the method of strangulation? And why did a jailed criminal admit to the first murder and recant that admission two years later? Cross had his hands full.
The character of George Cross is a unique one, but, as author Sullivan points out, spans the history of literary mystery. Cross is on the spectrum, specifically he has Asperger's Syndrome. He does not recognize facial cues, and has a hard time dealing with the intricacies of "normal" social structure. These qualities rule out front facing occupations or politics, but they are extremely well suited for teasing out the truth and crime solving. Sullivan uses the examples of Dupin and Holmes to place Cross in the progression of solitary detectives who have a hard time living in the world.
So as Mark Billingham begins to wind down his British police procedural series, we now can look forward to the American release of the George Cross mysteries, already an eight volume international sensation. I have now read the first two, can't wait for the next four, and greatly anticipate the newest fall 2026 release.
Reviewed by Donna Ballard
October 21, 2025
Reserve a physical copy - Coming soon
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