DS Tyler from the Cold Case Review Unit is delivered an anonymous note that talks about a past crime. He chases down leads and discovers a link to the disappearance of an MP’s wife two decades earlier. Months later, Tyler is injured and his colleague DC Mina Rabbani is informed about the case…
Sleeping Dogs is the 4th book in the DS Adam Tyler series of police procedurals. It is not necessary to read the earlier books as there is enough information to catch up on personal events and development. However, if you were going to read the series then I would advise reading books 2 and 3 consecutively as they have continuous plotlines.
A mysterious note sets Tyler on a course that sees him seriously injured. Now his colleagues Mina and Doggett need to work out what leads he followed into danger. The book is written in the two timelines and they gradually converge as the plot progresses. The use of the different timelines slows down the pace but gets the readers’ brains scrambling to guess at the connections between past and present.
This book has a very different feel to the last book, partly due to the narrative style of the timelines but also due to Tyler being unconscious in the present day so Mina is much more prominent. I enjoyed this book more and more as it progressed and Tyler and Mina separately make huge discoveries about the past.
We also see the experiences of Ruth, and her interactions in both timelines. This increases the tension as we feel sympathy for her as she is a vulnerable person but must have a connection to Tyler and the case. The characters are very naturally and authentically portrayed which brings them to life.
Sleeping Dogs is an intriguing crime novel with great characterisation.
Book blurb:
THE LIES OF THE PAST . . .
When an anonymous tip lands on his desk, DS Adam Tyler is intrigued in spite of himself. The disappearance of a young mother twenty-four years ago was big news, but the case was never solved – this tantalizing new lead is something he simply can’t ignore. But the letter has set in motion a dangerous chain of events, and Tyler’s search for the truth soon leaves him fighting for his life.
. . . LIVE IN THE PRESENT
With Tyler out of action, DC Mina Rabbani must step up to lead the Cold Case Review Unit in his absence, retracing Tyler’s steps and uncovering his secrets to figure out what he was working on. But as she begins to put the pieces together, the case starts to hit frighteningly close to home. Without DS Tyler to protect her, Mina realises that now she’s the one with hard choices to make.
And this time she’s on her own.
