Human Remains

British author Haynes’s third crime novel effectively explores the dark corners of the human psyche. Soon after Annabel Hayer, a civilian crime analyst for the Briarstone police, discovers a neighbor’s moldering body, she realizes that an astounding 24 such bodies have been discovered in Briarstone borough during the first nine months of 2012. The authorities didn’t bother to investigate in a number of cases because the deaths weren’t considered suspicious. Meanwhile, psychopath Colin Friedland preys on individuals who are ready to give up on life. Hayer, who manages to get senior officials to take the deaths seriously, is in danger of becoming another of Friedland’s victims. Haynes (Into the Darkest Corner) does a good job detailing the multitude of painful circumstances that make people susceptible to Friedland’s manipulations, as the contest between Hayer and Friedland plays out in surprising fashion. Agent: Adrian Weston, Adrian Weston Literary Agency. (Sept.)