The Tailor by Tim Sullivan

 

First Line: The man in seat C24 on the 10 a.m. Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington train service was studying the young girl sitting across the aisle from him with her mother.

A dead man in the first-class toilet of a train, his throat cut and a plastic bag over his head, shocks the police officers on the scene. Detective Sergeant George Cross doesn't miss a single detail, but what catches his attention isn't all the blood; it's the man's beautifully tailored suit.

The victim is Billy Titcomb, a tailor trusted by clients around the world for his workmanship and discretion. Who would want a tailor dead? Along with his new partner, Detective Constable Alice Mackenzie, Cross starts pulling at threads and discovers all sorts of suspects and clues that just don't add up. 

The deeper Cross digs, the less this looks like a simple murder... and the more it looks like he might be in new territory for him: the world of spies and state secrets.

~

There are many layers to the mystery in Tim Sullivan's latest delight, The Tailor. The convoluted mystery, the world of tailoring and bespoke suits, and a scene that genuinely had me worried for George, all combine with probably the finest cast of characters in fiction to make this one of my best reads of the year.

And if that isn't enough for you, there's plenty of humor, too, such as calling an overzealous helicopter mother "an Apache assault helicopter" or the contest between two characters to see who can get the most information to Cross the quickest.

While I was trying to figure out what was going on, I was also catching up on the lives of the characters. Newly-appointed Detective Constable Alice Mackenzie has to learn how to be Cross's partner as well as how to deal with her relationship with Cross's biggest groupie. Any character-driven reader will feel as if they're in paradise as they read these books. 

I will restrain myself and stop waxing poetic about The Tailor (and the entire series). Yes, you could jump into the action with this latest book and not feel lost, but why deny yourself the pleasure of getting to know these characters (and solving some fine mysteries) from the very beginning (The Dentist)? Do it, please!

The Tailor by Tim Sullivan

eISBN: 9780802167156 

Atlantic Crime © 2026

eBook, 363 pages

Police Procedural, #8 DS George Cross

Rating: A+

Source: Net Galley