Oxford private detective Zoë Boehm turns up dead in Newcastle, launching her friend Sarah Tucker into an investigation with several leads--but no one she can trust.
When a body is hauled from the River Tyne, Sarah Tucker heads to Newcastle for a closer look. She identifies the dead woman as private detective Zoë Boehm, but putting a name to the corpse only raises further questions. Did Zoë kill herself, or did one of her old cases come back to haunt her? Why was she wearing the jacket a murderer had stolen years before? And what's brought Sarah's former sparring partner Gerard Inchon to the same broken-down hotel where she's staying? Coincidence is an excuse that soon appears pretty unconvincing. Sarah can't leave until she's found the answers to her questions, however dangerous they might turn out to be.
"In this assured mystery from British author Herron . . . does a nice job of planting red herrings and making [Sarah Tucker's] amateur sleuthing plausible."
--Publishers Weekly
"Smoke and Whispers is an electrifying story that doesn't let up from start to finish . . . A most original, satisfying suspense thriller."
--Mysterious Reviews
"Always interesting and entertaining . . . Anyone who starts the Zoë 'tetralogy' will be rewarded by continuing with the series."
--International Noir Fiction
Praise for Mick Herron
"Mick Herron never tells a suspense story in the expected way."
--The New York Times Book Review
"Stylish and engaging."
--The Washington Post
"Good characterization, dialogue and well-paced narrative make this confident first novel frighteningly plausible."
--Daily Telegraph
"Masterful . . . How Herron is able to tie all these events together will test the sleuthing ability of even the most savvy readers as one surprise engenders another. The intricate plot, coupled with Herron's breezy writing style . . . results in superior entertainment that makes most other novels of suspense appear dull and slow-witted by comparison."
--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review