Maxwell's Point — M.J. Trow

With girlfriend DS Jacquie Carpenter back at work and little baby Nolan rapidly growing into a feisty toddler, Peter ‘Mad Max' Maxwell, Head of Sixth Form at Leighford High, decides to hire an au pair. The exotic Juanita Reyes hails from the sun-drenched isle of Menorca, and whilst the good old British weather can't hold a candle to the Menorcan sun, Juanita doesn't appear to mind a bit. She seems perfectly happy in the sleepy little seaside town, doting on baby Nolan and working hard to improve her English.

Then one afternoon Max returns home to find Nolan gurgling happily in his cot, but sees no sign of his au pair; the lovely Juanita has disappeared into thin air. Meanwhile, two ramblers are surprised and more than a little disturbed when Patches the border Collie digs up an arm, which presumably belongs to a body, on Dead Man's Point -- the lonely cliff top rising high over the sea.

Now, Mad Max is no stranger to murder inquiries and, as always when violent death is in the vicinity, his nose starts a-twitching, just itching to be poked into all the places it shouldn't. And, much to DCI Henry Hall's annoyance, the past has proved more than once that Max has a talent for sniffing out killers. But with a missing au pair to search for, and a creepy gardener, troublesome teenagers and reports of a randy rambler to investigate -- not to mention a young baby to look after -- has Max taken on more than he can handle this time?