THE LOST

Ghosts of long-dead crimes are best left undisturbed.

During a fruitless interview at a prison, dogged London newshound Len Curzon spots a lead in the person of an unidentified blonde beauty chatting with disgraced politician Paul Deacon, who has been incarcerated for shooting crime boss Jimmy Keppell’s handsome son Tony. Deacon’s motive was murky; now Len muses that Tony may have been Deacon’s lover. From deep in his memory, Len pulls a hunch: that the young woman is Grace, the grown-up daughter of Sharon Harper, an infamous woman in another memorable story from two decades ago. At a pub called The Whistle, Len chats with ex-cop Harry Lind, currently in the doghouse with his live-in love Valerie. Harry’s now a private eye hired by not-quite-legitimate nightclub owner Ray Stagg to find his missing brother-in-law Al. Stagg’s sister Denise is crazed with worry. Harry learns, unsurprisingly, that revenge is the real motive for Stagg’s search, and the reader soon discovers that Keppel and Stagg are thick as thieves. Before Len can decide whether to pursue the case of Grace Harper, who now calls herself Ellen Shaw, he’s murdered, and Harry’s case takes center stage for Valerie, an investigator who’s not only Harry’s better half but a detective sergeant.

Another multilayered crime saga from Kray (The Pact, 2007, etc.), long on plot but short on style. A panorama of supporting characters adds both interest and potential confusion.