Picture of Innocence

More than half of Bartonshire, it seemed, had entertained murderous thoughts at some time or another about bullying farmer Bernard Bailey. Which might have explained why his property was protected by more security devices and surveillance cameras than Fort Knox. All, sadly, to no avail. After six months of highly publicised death threats, linked to a stubborn refusal to sell land for a new road, Bernard’s bloodied corpse is discovered in his isolated farmhouse by his wife Rachel. A gruesome beginning to the working week which launches DCI Lloyd and DI Judy Hill into the most unusual murder enquiry of their careers. For as the initial evidence is sifted, the question for once isn’t ‘Who stood to gain from the death?’ but ‘Why didn’t they do it sooner?’ With the ever-present eye of the camera recording events, Lloyd and Hill have more evidence than they ever thought possible. But is it enough to stop a killer walking free …?

Reviews of Picture of Innocence

A spellbinding story-teller Financial Times McGown has once again produced a classic English detective story and an entertaining read Sunday Telegraph McGown's latest Lloyd and Hill mystery possesses a wealth of psychological nuance and narrative depth … a masterpiece of controlled complexity Publishers Weekly