Something To Hide

The 21st Inspector Lynley novel (after The Punishment She Deserves) is another deeply researched and involved police procedural. Acting Chief Inspector Lynley catches a murder case at New Scotland Yard with layers of cultural and political complexity. The victim is a fellow officer and Nigerian immigrant named Teo. She had been working a small task force to prevent crimes against women in her community. She herself was a victim of FGM (female genital mutilation) and was volunteering under an assumed name with a local nonprofit to stop this practice. The secondary story concerns a Nigerian family living on the north side of London. Monifa, the mother, wants to find a medicalized plan for FGM for her young daughter, but her older son intervenes. They then seek help from the organization where Teo had volunteered. Lynley and his partners DS Barbara Havers and DS Winston Nkata work on an investigation that reveals many secrets and lies.