Playing at Murder — Michael Patterson

Detective Chief Inspector Tom Stone was contemplating taking early retirement. His face just didn't fit any more and he was sure he was being deliberately excluded from bigger operations. His health was starting to suffer. His doctor said it was stress-related but he had always thrived on stress - hadn't he? Tom Stone's life was about to change. Soon he would not only find himself falling in love but also trying to solve a bizarre series of murders: murders that bore a chilling resemblance to those in a new TV series. With the media playing up the connection, the entire nation was gripped and tuning in to watch each episode in record numbers. If he couldn't stop the killer, then the decision on his retirement might well be taken out of his hands.