W. J. Burley

A young girl is found dead in a house on Stanley Street, a dubious cul-de-sac just off the busy main road in a West Country port. And the victim, found naked and strangled in her bed is a prostitute. The local inspector believes it is just another sex crime, but for Chief Superintendent Wycliffe it's just the start of a complex puzzle which he must unravel...

Wycliffe investigates the murder of a young woman at an artists' colony in St. Ives. But he soon discovers that several members of the colony have very good reasons for not wanting the police poking into their affairs . . .

Caroline Bryce came from the top of the social register in the tranquil town of Treen. So it was quite a scandal when her body was dragged from the bottom of the river. As Superintendent Wycliffe investigates, he begins to unravel an intricate tangle of love and hate, and he finds himself on the trail of a psychotic killer who feels no guilt - and will not hesitate to strike again...

Two very different young women have been murdered within the same week. One was a singer in a nightclub, the other a nurse. As Wycliffe searches for a link between the victims his investigations take him back in time; to a school trip, an isolated hostel and a cruel joke on a lonely student. Wycliffe is forced into a race against time to track down the murderer before they strike again.