Tony Bassett, The Crossbow Stalker (The Book Folks 2022)
Young detective sergeant Sunita Roy is called to a murder at a remote country cottage. The victim, Oliver, has been shot with a crossbow bolt and a handkerchief embroidered with the letter C has been stuffed into his mouth. So begins Tony Bassett’s excellent crime thriller.
As the investigation progresses, so do the murders, all with crossbows and all with the handkerchief marked C. And there may be a copycat killer on the loose as well.
A near-perfect crime thriller. I’ve never solved a murder, myself, but the police methods seemed quite realistic. The large cast of characters and suspects all have inter-connecting stories. We get clues and pieces of evidence bit by bit, with tantalising red herrings, encouraging the reader to try to crack the crime. I usually don’t, but I did this time. The writing is excellent, and the characters are colourful.
Susie Helme 
Leave a comment