Play Dead

By Bill James

Published Apr 2013

Following a deep investigation into an incident in another Force, Colin Harpur and his boss, Assistant Chief Constable Desmond Iles, uncovered an unpalatable truth: there is corruption in the ranks. Corruption which led to murder.

Good detective work allowed the pair to arrest and charge the assassin, but there are very big questions unanswered. Harpur and Iles are sent back in an attempt to discover how far, and how high, the corruption went.

Their task is so stressful that the ill-feeling between them, always just below the surface, breaks out into physical violence, and Harpur gives Iles a conspicuous wound. Just the same, their work has to continue. Who ordered the execution? Why? And – most importantly – does the crooked power group behind the assassin still flourish?