Norfolk, that beautiful coastline rimming an enchanted if sluggish county. Jason Dalgliesh, author of the Dark Yorkshire mystery series I enjoy so much, has now kicked off a less edgy series turning around the police detective prowess of perceptive, steady DI Tom Jansson. It’s a welcome addition to the canon. In “One Lost Soul,” Jansson and his young homicide team, helped by his female boss (an undercurrent of attraction provides welcome frisson), investigate the brutal strangulation of a teenage girl on a lonely North Sea clifftop. In the vein of Ann Cleeves’ Shetland masterpieces, the pacing is sure and measured, the characterisation builds, and the subtleties of the suspects’ interlocking lives unfold with pleasurable reading. A solid, entertaining kickoff of what promises to be a classic series.
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