Passage of Crime — R. Michael Phillips

London's East End, once known for poor boroughs and a derelict rail yard, is enjoying an optimistic resurgence. It's becoming an affordable option for middleclass residents looking to have their pounds go further. Despite this sweeping out of old rubbish, a cautious step is still advised when passing by a few remaining dark alleys. If only Mary Walsh had listened. Prophet Brown, a disfigured, pathetic little man, called Detective Inspector Flannel after stumbling upon the body of a young woman in one such alley. Flannel quickly realizes she is not the random victim she appears. Add to that, the crime scene is hauntingly reminiscent of an old unsolved case; a case that almost ended an otherwise brilliant career eight years ago. For the moment, Prophet Brown is the only solid link between the two cases. He has been in the employ of a charismatic and well-connected Member of Parliament for 17 years, and the very man Flannel unsuccessfully accused of the murders in the previous case. Flannel finds himself navigating a very treacherous course. His superiors have warned him for the last time to tread cautiously around the MP, and the rising tide of the past threatens to pull him under. Reluctantly, Inspector Flannel turns to a most unlikely ally, a reformed pickpocket named Ernie Bisquets. Together they disentangle a mesh of old lies and current clues attempting to bring a ruthless murderer to justiceâ€"ignoring the dangerous notion of murder being a carefully disguised trait passed from one generation to the next. PASSAGE OF CRIME is a traditional English mystery that brings together the unlikely combination of a dowdy old Scotland Yard Inspector and Ernie Bisquets, London's most remarkable reformed pickpocket, in this whodunit set in contemporary London.