Talking to Strangers

In Barton’s artful sequel to Local Gone Missing, Det. Insp. Elise King competes with journalist Kiki Nunn to solve the murder of a Sussex hairdresser. King has just returned to duty after breast cancer treatment when she’s called to Knapton Wood, where Karen Simmons’s strangled corpse has been discovered. Before her death, Simmons ran a singles group called the Free Spirits, and King immediately sets her sights on the men Simmons was dating. Meanwhile, newspaper reporter Nunn catches wind of the murder, and her interest is piqued—she’d interviewed Simmons for an article about the Free Spirits the week before. Sensing the story might earn her a promotion, Nunn doggedly chases down leads, stepping on King’s toes in the process. Also in the mix is Annie Curtis, one of Simmons’s clients, whose eight-year-old son was killed years ago in the same place as Simmons, prompting Annie to wonder if the murders might be connected. Barton effortlessly toggles between each woman’s viewpoint, maintaining suspense as she builds to the plot’s devastating resolution. Fans of Mark Billingham’s Tom Thorne novels will devour this. Agent: Madeleine Milburn, Madeleine Milburn Agency. (Aug.)