Detective Sergeant George Cross's logic, determination, and precision can make him almost impossible to work with, but since he has the highest crime clearance rate, his co-workers in the Bristol police force make allowances for his peculiarities.
The faint clues on a ravaged body found in a demolition site lead Cross into the world of amateur cycling, drugs, ambition, and a family that is imploding. But just when the police seem to have solved the case, Cross doubles back on his investigation. Is he doing the right thing?
~
Tim Sullivan's George Cross series was one of my favorite discoveries of 2025, and this second book in the series, The Cyclist, definitely makes me want to read more. The mystery is ingenious. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, Cross did an about-face and headed in a different direction. Did this anger me? No. This man has "an inbuilt intolerance of things being wrong," and I've quickly learned to trust him.
I'm not the only one who's learned to trust him. One of the best things about this series is that readers don't get the story from Cross's point of view alone; we're treated to how his co-workers, DC Josie Ottey and trainee Police Staff Investigator Alice MacKenzie, are continuously learning how to deal with his eccentricities. Being privy to their thoughts when Cross is being particularly uncooperative is a treat.
And speaking of treats, Cross's relationship with his father is tested in The Cyclist, and his frequent (spot-on) digs at the ongoing cost-cutting methods of the police department turn into a running joke.
Tim Sullivan's characters and plots make this a very enjoyable series, and I'm looking forward to the next book.
The Cyclist by Tim Sullivan
eISBN: 9780802167781
Grove Atlantic © 2026
eBook, 272 pages
Police Procedural, #2 DS George Cross
Rating: A
Source: Net Galley
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