All of a sudden the investigation took a huge turn – the police were involved, and the suspects were numerous. Never having done a missing person before, Kate got right into it, and before long she was deeply involved in the sleazy side of London, discovering parts she hadn’t known had existed.Īs she dug deeper, Kate was horrified when suddenly there was a murder victim in the middle of it all. But with the grudging approval of her partner, she took it on. Warshawski for the hard stuff.įour stars on the grounds that it does a nice job of doing what it sets out to do.īill Mortensen and Kate Brannigan made up the private investigators who investigated fraud and white collar crime, so when Jett, singer, songwriter and musician asked her to find an old friend of his as a favour, she was hesitant.

Still, I suspect I will return to the series (this is the first) when I need a little of Kate’s sass and wit as a pick-me-up when my mood cries out for a little bubbly rather than bourbon in a female detective. The ensuing murder occurs in the musician’s palatial home, which is occupied by key members of his entourage, none of whom has an alibi for the critical time.Īlong the way to Kate’s solving the murder (as well as the other major case she’s working on) we are introduced to her friends, colleagues, and lover, a guy who bought the house next door because she will never agree to live with him.Īlthough this isn’t a cozy, it’s a bit frothy compared with McDermid’s best work. He convinces Kate to track down his one-time collaborator, a woman who disappeared some years previously but whom he has now decided is his soul-mate, the key to resurrecting his music. The story revolves around a highly successful musician whose latest albums aren’t of the same quality as his early work. Kate Brannigan is Northern England’s answer to Kinsey Millhone (except that Kate doesn’t carry a gun and generally avoids getting beaten up). who normally works on white collar investigations but gets pulled into a murder case against her better judgment. Well, this was fun! A lightweight mystery featuring a P.I.

Dead Beat by Val McDermid