Gold Dagger winner Belinda Bauer‘s latest novel sees a return for DCI Marvel, first encountered in her 2011 story Darkside. Marvel is a true misanthrope, and thinks that the police force in which he serves is ‘peopled by short men with degrees and vegetarian lesbians’. In The Shut Eye, he faces a two cases involving missing children, all the while battling with his own alcoholism. In desperation, Marvel turns to a psychic, but his investment in a the uncanny powers of a certain Richard Latham comes to nothing. The plot plays out with a winning mixture of psychological tension, compassion, and good old-fashioned story telling. Read Andre‘s full review of here.
