Death Toll

Finished August 29
Death Toll by Jim Kelly, read by Roger May
This is part of the series featuring DI Peter Shaw and DS George Valentine. Here, when bodies are being moved out of King's Lynn's cemetery due to rising water levels, workers discover remains of a body buried above another coffin. Shaw is able to draw the victim from the bones, and he is quickly identified as a young man that went missing 28 years earlier, at the same time Nora Tilden, the body in the coffin was buried. Nora was the owner of a local pub, the Flask, that lies near the cemetery. As Shaw and Valentine concentrate their efforts on this cold case, looking for fresh clues, they also continue to work on the case that ended the career of Shaw's father, and resulted in Valentine's demotion.
Both Shaw and Valentine are complex characters, with personal issues that affect their reactions to both cases. Shaw is quick to anger when religion and race prejudices emerge. Valentine is calmer, but leads a lonely existence. I enjoy this series not just for the plots, which are always good, but also for the psychology and character development.