The Monk - Tim Sullivan

As we go into the fifth book in the DS Cross Thriller series, it wouldn't be unreasonable to wonder how much mileage there is left in a series featuring a police detective on the spectrum; a series that to some extent adopts some of the same characteristics. DS George Cross likes order and procedure to a far greater degree than even the most assiduous detective. He is not governed by gut feelings or intuition, has a habit of speaking his mind, sometimes in the most inappropriate manner considering the circumstances, with little sense of apparent sensitivity for the families of the victims. Well, the answer is there in the fact that each book so far has shown that DS Cross actually has more reserves of human empathy than you might think, while on the other hand the irrational, instinctive and adherence to social niceties can - certainly to DS Cross - appear even stranger and more disconcerting.

Tim Sullivan, with characteristic skill, lays that out clearly in the critical but customary opening scene of a murder site, setting the tone for what lies ahead. A Benedictine monk, Dominic Augustus, reported missing two days previously, has been found dead, bound to a chair in a ditch, having been brutally beaten before being killed. Cross finds the idea of a holy man being subjected to such an ordeal baffling, but not so much from the view of who would do such a thing to a monk, as why. He isn't impressed either by a constable of the Somerset and Avon police force making a joke at the scene. It really does show how the behaviour of people and their reactions can sometimes be bewildering.

So even though Cross delivers the news to the abbot of the St Eustace monastery with customary bluntness, the response of Father Anselm to the news is unexpected, as is the behaviour of his brotherhood. If the actions and motivations of people in response to a criminal investigation can be difficult to fathom, it's going to be even more difficult to find out why anyone would kill a monk, and even more so trying to conduct an investigation with a group of men close to the victim who are accustomed to silent reflection and inexpressiveness. There is also the fact that Brother Dominic also seemed to be concerned about keeping a low profile, saying little about his previous life as a top city banker.

But then, that's not so different either from the other cases we've seen in the previous DS Cross thrillers. Family continues to be an important line to follow and, as with previous investigations, family tend to close ranks, be protective of each other and try to protect themselves from the trauma of loss. The small community of monks at St Eustace are a kind of family too, just as likely to close ranks to protect their institution. However, Cross knows that statistically that most murders are committed within a family, so nothing can be discounted. The theme might be familiar from previous novels, but Sullivan finds another variation on it here, with the complicating factor that DS Cross is still struggling to come to terms and understand the dynamic in his own personal family life.

As noted before over the course of the series, Sullivan writes much in the manner of his lead character, inevitably adopting some of the conditions of a person with Asperger's Syndrome. He keeps to familiar patterns, in the titles of the books, in the response and method of the police investigation, in the structure of the book and the customs that Cross keeps. It's quiet and methodical, allowing time for information to be absorbed, but just like Cross, he can surprise you by launching into incredible flights of rapid action. Action is perhaps not quite the word, but in the context of one episode here of a police interrogation that takes place on the private plane of a successful businessman, it's an extraordinary change of pace, showing what Cross is capable of, while also laying down in a dramatic manner how the investigation is going to move in a new direction.

Still, while DS Cross's methods are unique and fascinating for a crime detective series, it's his humanity that in the end proves critical to the successful resolution of the case. While his own personal family situation is nothing like those of the high society families he is investigating here, it's the necessity of not just understanding human behaviour and actions, it's feeling them and coming to terms with his position as a son that provides the insight that is needed here. It's not intuition, not just procedure and thorough investigation of evidence, but a willingness - as painful as it might be for him and more difficult to solve than any criminal case - to confront his own humanity. Once again, contrary to appearances, DS Cross seems to have more of it than many others. It's this kind of development that continues to make this an exceptional series.

Reading notes: The Monk by Tim Sullivan, Book 5 of the DS Cross Thriller series, is an Aries book published by Head of Zeus. It will be published on the 27th April 2023. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance preview in eBook format.