Fear or Favour

A drowned man is pulled from floodwaters. Identification is difficult but a routine investigation for DCI Stirling and newly promoted DI Marti Summer. Or is it?
Sensitive material in the dead man’s possession links Stirling’s investigation to the top of Government, and a leadership race for Prime Minister. Favourite to win is Zola Campbell, the grandchild of Windrush immigrants whose rise from humble beginnings to forge a business empire, amassing personal wealth and fame along the way, have made her an iconic figure. Entering politics, her talents earned swift promotion to the top of Government, and now she’s poised to be the first woman of colour Prime Minister. The media is in overdrive, the political stakes are high, and the nation is watching.
Fearing a national scandal that will engulf them all, ACC Steph Tanner wants results – fast! With just days to unravel what connects a quiet man’s drowning to events at Westminster, a hundred miles away, tensions rise as Stirling takes his investigation undercover.
Stirling senses something is missing. But what? Or who? With a suspect to locate, and crypto millions to trace, things are complex enough when MI5 step from the shadows! And just where do Lena Novak and the National Crime Agency fit into it all?
Frightened by Stirling’s methods, Marti Summer fears for her job, and the shame she’ll bring on her family. But Marti has a moral dilemma too - have her own prejudices jeopardised the investigation?
Haunted by tragedy, Stirling’s private life is a mess. Ayesha’s gone, with no explanation. He and Steph Tanner are close, but she’s his boss. And life is about to get still more complicated.