Death Surge: A DI Andy Horton Mystery

Rowson plunges readers into the midst of the series’ intricate backstory in her 10th Det. Insp. Andy Horton mystery (after 2013’s Undercurrent). Two paragraphs in, the reader learns that Horton’s mother disappeared in 1978, and that he believes a covert member of the British intelligence services, Lord Eames, may know what happened to her. His search for answers is temporarily placed on hold when he’s asked to help an old friend, Sergeant Cantelli, whose 23-year-old nephew, Johnnie Oslow, has gone missing. There, too, the history is complex (“Horton had steered Oslow away from a path of criminality seven years ago, when he’d been sixteen and in trouble with the law, following an arson attack”). So within three pages, a newcomer may feel as if he or she is already catching up. The fast-paced narrative, which focuses on the Oslow case, with its multiple theories, will draw readers along, and does a lot to overcome the awkward start. (Jan.)