The Patient - Tim Sullivan

As I think I mentioned in one of my previous two reviews of Tim Sullivan's DS Cross thrillers (The Dentist, The Cyclist), being somewhere on the spectrum might sound like a disability for a police officer, but it can actually be an advantage when you are an officer in the Mayor Crimes Unit (MCU) who needs to diligently pursue a line of suspicion and seek firm clear answers when something seems wrong or out of place. It can also be a distinct advantage for a writer following the lead character's way of being direct and getting straight to the point. That is also a boon to a reader as well and it's particularly evident in the opening of the third novel DS Cross thriller The Patient, as it draws you straight in, lays out the intrigue nicely and leaves you with just enough curiosity to want to follow every step of what follows.

It's also fortunate in this case for Sandra Wilson that she brings her concerns to DS George Cross. She is convinced her daughter Flick didn't commit suicide or die of an accidental overdose as a cursory investigation had determined, but she is finding it difficult to convince the police that it is anything but how it looks. It's not as if she has any evidence, just a feeling that comes from knowing that her daughter would never kill herself. Cross likes hard facts but also doesn't like it when something doesn't feel right and, aside from suspecting that DI Crawford has not been thorough enough in his investigation, Cross finds a few inconsistencies that suggest that this might indeed be a murder case. He's going to need more than that however to convince his team and his bosses.

As I also noted in previous reviews, families play an important part in the DS Cross crime thrillers, in that they often defy rational feelings or behaviour. So while George has to adjust to his father being released from hospital into his care and figure out how to make it work, so too Sandra's relationship with her daughter and her daughter's family relationships also have their own particular problems and idiosyncrasies that are unlike any others. Not least is the complication of Flick's previous drug problem and her death occurring while her two year old baby was next door. So George's family problems are not just included for background colour and character development, although it certainly shows another side of his personality and behaviour.

There are always relevant underlying issues alluded to in this crime series from Tim Sullivan and what the latest DS Cross case opens up is a consideration of real social issues and problems related to addiction and mental health. It's a complex field and it's one that is a challenge for the rational and methodical Cross to deal with. Cross is keen to take a balanced, evidence-based view, but he comes across other people who all have complex personality issues and disorders of their own, all of whom could have a reason to be suspected of murder, but few with any real motive or ability to do so. That of course is classic crime murder-mystery technique but with DS Cross investigating it does place a whole other unique complexion on the matter.

Whether it's following Cross's methodical process or just great writing in the part of Sullivan - probably a bit of both - all this makes for a terrific and deeply involving read. You are drawn in entirely into this worldview, an almost idealistic worldview of how justice should be investigated and enacted, while at the same time being very much aware of the pressures that prevent this from happening. More than this however The Patient is just wonderfully absorbing, not just to see the mystery solved, but simply to be part of this world, to see it laid out rationally in the presence of DS Cross, without neglecting to take into account the dark side of the social problems and abuse that exists out there. As a standalone book, The Patient is outstanding - the best in the series so far - but if you've read the previous two books, you'll see real development and progress here, and it's all the more enjoyable and impressive for it.

Reading notes: The Patient (A DS Cross Thriller) is published by Head of Zeus. Reviewed from a Kindle download. Originally self-published, the first two DS Cross Thrillers (The Dentist, The Cyclist) are also re-published by Head of Zeus.