Tell No Tales by J M Dalgliesh [6/10]

The fourth in a solid police procedural series set in evocative Norfolk, “Tell No Tales” finds dependable, sharp-minded, unstoppable Detective Inspector Tom Jansson pursuing the truth behind the mortal fall of an unidentified man from Sheringham Cliffs. I have walked the 78 kilometers of marshes, dunes, and beaches of the Norfolk Coastal Path and author J. M. Dalgliesh’s evocative descriptions of fictional Sheringham brought vivid memories back to life. Alongside his usual team, Jansson is now lumbered with a new Detective Sergeant, Cassie Knight, and the subtle interactions of this new relationship build on his evolving intricate storyline, in a familiar, slow-burning progression. The dead man turns out to have a dark past and as treacherous a present, and Jansson’s swirling set of clues almost unmoors him. As usual, Dalgliesh’s prose is smooth and muscular, his grounding in Norfolk is flawless, and his characterization is solid. The plot involves sinister outside forces, a device that can unroot the plot from the closely observed characters, but the climax is, as usual in this Hidden Norfolk series, satisfying and twisty. “Tell No Tales” is another fast, delectable read.