The Baker

“A perfect detective for our time and all time.”—Stephen Fry

In the ninth DS George Cross novel, million-copy bestselling author Tim Sullivan sends his singular detective into the world of artisanal baking to solve a gripping mystery that will leave readers hungry for more

To catch a killer, follow the breadcrumbs . . .

Detective Sergeant George Cross appreciates a process that can’t be rushed. Known for his single-mindedness and exacting precision, baking suits him perfectly. The careful weighing, quiet folding, and patient waiting for the dough to rise all appeal to his methodical nature. In fact, the sourdough starter he nurtured through lockdown is the closest thing he’s had to a relationship outside of work. So, when a body turns up at Prove, one of Bristol’s finest bakeries, Cross arrives at the crime scene with more than just a professional interest.

Prove is famous not just for its bread, but for its staff. Co-owner Brian Fothergill was a former social worker who built the business on second chances, hiring people off the street and out of prison despite the warnings from his business partners. Now Brian is dead in a commercial dough mixer, killed during a 4 a.m. shift he’d taken off a colleague. But CCTV shows him arriving two hours before the shift even began. Why was he there? And what was he baking? Whatever it was has burned to a crisp, but the acrid smell suggests it wasn’t the house loaf.

Everyone from his pregnant ex to the drinker sleeping behind the bakery bins agrees that Brian was a deeply good man. But Cross goes by the facts. George wants to know why a good man needed to bake alone in the dark, and why everyone who loved him seems to be holding something back. As usual, his relentless pursuit of the truth frustrates his superiors, who demand a quick arrest. But Cross refuses to be hurried. Be it bread or guilt, he knows proving things takes time.