Deadly Retribution — Michael Patterson

Detective Chief Inspector Tom Stone was very worried. Although he had just returned from a well-deserved holiday, after helping to solve one of the country's highest profile murder cases, he suspected that his recent feeling of both personal and professional contentment would soon be shattered. He was convinced that there was an informant amongst his colleagues, who had been systematically passing information to one of London's most notorious criminal gangs. The problem was that he had no hard evidence to back up his suspicions. Now that he had returned he was eager to find out whether or not his concerns were shared by his immediate boss - but the answer was not what he expected. It would set him on a course of action that would eventually lead to him being personally accused of attempted rape and then murder and require him to seek the assistance of a most unlikely source. And then there was his relationship with Mary. Would it survive everything that was about to be thrown at him? Whilst all of this was happening, Stone and Acting Detective Sergeant Milner were trying to solve a series of metal thefts that were plaguing their community. What had started out as straightforward criminal activity quickly developed into assault and murder. One thing was for sure. His would be no low- key return to work!