The Suffering of Strangers

Ramsey’s riveting ninth mystery featuring Det. Chief Insp. Colin Anderson and Det. Insp. Winifred “Freddie” Costello (after 2017’s Standing Still) finds their Glasgow investigative team broken up: Anderson has been assigned to the cold case unit, Costello to domestic abuse; other officers are relegated to desk-bound jobs. Costello investigates the kidnapping of a six-week-old baby, snatched from his mother’s car while she nipped into a shop. The child was replaced by another baby, who has Down’s syndrome. Meanwhile, Anderson reopens a rape case, the victim of which is a close friend. Ramsay gracefully braids together the two investigations, each of which adds information that expands the possibilities of the other. The snarky banter between Costello and practically everyone she encounters is amusing and increasingly endearing. She propels the narrative, pulling Anderson and the other team members along in her wake. Fans of contemporary British police procedurals will be more than satisfied. Agent: Jane Gregory, Gregory & Co. (U.K.). (Mar.)