Staying Power — Judith Cutler

Detective Sergeant Kate Power of Birmingham CID has had bad luck with romance, so when a polite stranger flirts with her on an airline trip home from Florence, she's more than a little suspicious. She gives the man her business card and forgets all about him. Two days later he's found hanging from a canal bridge-with Kate's card in his pocket the only means of identification.

The easy conclusion for the investigating officers is suicide, but Kate isn't convinced. As her subsequent investigations prove, the cause of Alan Grafton's death-and it's consequences-are more serious than she and her colleagues could have imagined. Still regarded as a newcomer in the Birmingham police force, still battling against prejudice and intimidation among the ranks, still fighting to prove that she's got what it takes, Kate is determined to stick to her guns until she finally uncovers the shocking truth.

Judith Cutler's keen insight into the contemporary police force and her winning sleuth Kate Power are a recipe for excellent crime fiction, and Staying Power is the second compelling novel in a gritty modern cop series that's been praised by critics and fans alike.