Cambridge, 1942, and the world is at war. American Gis have come to England and are being welcomed by the local populace. But while the allies are welcomed one-and-all by the locals, there are distinct tensions within the ranks – in particular between the units of white and black soldiers.

An outbreak of violence between the two groups at the Corn Exchange threatens to distract DI Eden Brooke from his investigations into the discovery of a body at the nearby aerodome dating back to the Great War. When a fresh murder leads to the arrest of one of the black Gis, Brooke is convinced that an innocent man is heading to the gallows – if he could only prove it before the hangman arrives…

A new author to me, but this is the fifth in the Nighthawks series – so named as Brooke and most of his close allies prefer the dark – all set in wartime Cambridge. The setting is effectively evoked and there are multiple plot strands to keep the reader’s attention – the past murder, the present murder, a smuggling operation…

The story ticks along nicely – I would have preferred that the murder case had a little more page time as I found it more interesting than the smuggling story. The tension builds very effectively – Alfred Pierrepoint himself shows up towards the end, as if the ticking clock itself wasn’t enough – and the threads are tied together effectively.

All in all, this is a very effective thriller. The wartime setting works is utilised well with threads that would only work in such a time and place. Definitely a series that is worth a look.

The American Suspect is out today from Allison & Busby. Many thanks for the review copy.