An Unsafe Pair of Hands

"I gave up sleep so that I could read to the surprising and satisfying ending. I laughed out loud in public in response to the quirky plot twists. An Unsafe Pair of Hands by Chris Dolley is a masterful addition to the British mystery genre." -- Barth Siemens

Peter Shand is a high-flying police administrator seconded to a quiet rural CID team to gain the operational experience he needs for promotion. On his second day he's thrust into a high-profile murder case. A woman's body is discovered in an old stone circle ... with another woman buried alive beneath her.

The pressure on Shand is enormous. The media is clamoring for answers, but every lead he chases down makes the case even more baffling. Then a local journalist singles out Shand as the reason for the lack of progress, and goads him at a press conference. Shand responds by inventing a lead, and keeps on lying - to the press and his boss - telling himself he'll solve the case before anyone finds out.

And then another murder occurs. And had there been a third?

Shand begins to doubt his ability. He's desperate, increasingly unpredictable, and somehow gaining a reputation for arresting livestock.

Which will break first? The case, or Shand?

Chris Dolley is a New York Times bestselling author

REVIEWS

"This book started off with a bang and sped quickly down a steep hill with more twists than a twisty thing. I really enjoyed this book and could hardly put it down!" -- Diane Johnstone

"This mystery is so much fun. The humor is delightful and the plot is complex enough to keep you turning pages to the end. And the characters are marvelous, from the snobby London "incomers" the Marchants to The Moleman and even a cock-a-doodle-dooing chicken, all of whom are suspect at one time or other. This is by far one of the best summer reads of 2011." -- Jensview

"This is a very good read. You will want to be sure to have a day off or a quiet weekend ahead of you, because this book is very hard to put down once you get started reading it." -- Kathleen Kempa

"This is one of those crime stories that grips one from the opening paragraph, and doesn't let go until the last. I had theories all the way through the book and was confident, going into the denouement, that I had cracked the case just ahead of our detective - WRONG! I was not even close but, when our hero explained his reasoning, yes, it was all there for me." - Ken Petersen