Murder Club (Traces #7)

Welcome to the world of Traces. Imagine a place where technology rules, where London is a slum and the North is a cultural capital, where from the age of five The Authorities decide your future. In this fascinating parallel world, quick-thinking Luke Harding and his robot sidekick, Malc, make a top forensic team. Luke and Malc have the talent to crack any crime – and a good joke too.

Book 7. Forensic Investigator Luke Harding has left York Hospital after surgery on his damaged brain. Before he’s fully fit, he’s given a new case – and a new Mobile Aid to Law and Crime. It’s not a difficult investigation. He soon learns who strangled Kiki Smallpiece, a young and controversial worker for The Authorities. But why was she killed? Was the murderer really responsible when his fingers tightened around her neck? If he wasn’t, who was really behind her death? Has her fate got anything to do with The Authorities? And why has Luke been told to investigate when he’s still suffering the after-effects of surgery?

There’s another question on Luke’s mind. Will The Authorities finally allow him to be paired with his girlfriend, Jade Vernon?

Of the Traces series, Jan Mark wrote in The Times Educational Supplement, ‘This is fast-moving storytelling in the true thriller tradition, with enough subtext to leave a perceptive reader thinking.’