A Song for the Brokenhearted: A Breen and Tozer Mystery by William Shaw

Breen has been shot in the line of duty and is staying at Tozer's parent's house.  She's trying to keep him quiet so he will heal.  He's not a good patient.  When she tells him of her sister's murder which has never been solved, he finally has something he can look into to keep himself busy.  He'll wish he hadn't taken it on...

Mulholland Books and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published January 19th, so you can grab a copy then.

Breen is a very persistent cop.  He keeps kicking up the leaves and looking at the dirt under them.  The dead girl was only 16.  She knew her way around sexually and she liked the power it gave her with men.  If she'd stuck with boys her age, it might have worked out better.

The men in the case were partly cops, partly land owners.  They had been in a war in Africa and saw and did terrible things there.  How that can tie to a young girl's death in London is unknown.

Breen has another problem.  He's attracted to Tozer.  He's slept with her once and manages to do so again while at the house.  He met her while she was a cop; now she helps her parents on the farm.   He thinks he might be in love with her.  She's standoffish and wants nothing to do with marriage.

He's trying to deal with Helen, find the killer, and help the Tozer family with a young girl they have taken in.  She got involved with drugs and now she's helping them farm and getting healthier and happier by the day.  She's also taking the place of the daughter that died and making most of the family happy again.  Helen isn't happy but she doesn't seem to be ever.  She's an interesting creature.

The killer is unusual, the case is complex and the killings are brutal.  The investigations has many layers and when new people start dying with the same MO, the case spikes in importance.  The ending is tense and thrilling.  You'll be thinking about this story for a while.