Good People

Fans of gritty British crime fiction will welcome Hutton’s twisty first novel, set in Wales. One night, Det. Sgt. Glyn Capaldi, whose career is on the rebound, responds to a hijacking call. According to the stranded driver of a minibus, his six drunken male passengers tricked him into getting out of the vehicle, then drove off without him. Shortly beforehand, the men picked up a female hitchhiker. The morning after the crime, the minibus is found abandoned. Capaldi’s colleagues are initially unconcerned, but when the police learn that none of the men turned up at their homes, they start to show some interest. Things become more complicated after five of the men surface, leaving one of their comrades and the unidentified woman unaccounted for and Capaldi suspicious. Hutton throws in a number of curves along the way to a satisfying explanation of the mystery. (Apr.)