The Beheaded Victim

Detective Sergeant Callum Brody has never been one for hand-holding. He's proud of his work and isn't about to let anyone dictate how he does it—not even when a headless body turns up floating in a sewage river, and no one's got the faintest clue who it is. For weeks, it's been nothing but dead ends and frustrated sighs, so when the higher-ups decide it's time to bring in an 'outside consultant,' Callum isn't exactly thrilled.

Enter Leon Faulkner: forensic pathologist, dressed like a Wall Street banker but with long hair. He works fast, talks fast, and doesn't take too kindly to anyone telling him what to do—much like Callum himself.

Callum's gruffness meets Leon's cool calm, and they're off to a rocky start. But as Leon starts digging into the case, Callum has to grudgingly admit: the guy knows his stuff. In a matter of hours, Leon has not only identified the victim but also pinpointed the cause of death—and even found leads that actually lead somewhere.

Callum and Leon are forced to work together, despite their mutual disdain for authority. The more they dig, the more they realise they'll need to put aside their egos—if only for long enough to solve the case.