An Assumption of Death // Murder on the Dawn Princess — Roy Lewis

The discovery of a headless corpse at sea causes police enquiries to concentrate on drug smuggling in the north east of England, but archaeologist Arnold Landon has his own problem to solve. An ultimatum from his long term girlfriend has left him with a difficult decision to make. Should he join her in America and take up the offer of a job? Or should he stay in his beloved Northumberland and battle it out with the attractive but insufferable acting head of his department?

There is plenty to keep him from making up his mind including a beautiful new assistant, complaints about Oclixtan, a closed cult whose attempt to expand has raised unwelcome planning issues, and a boundary dispute raging between two local landowners.

Then a young heiress goes missing and the chairman of the archaeological society falls to his death from his own tower, and Arnold is drawn into a web of deceit, murder and hallucination, until he himself is placed in danger.

Another gripping new mystery from Roy Lewis, with the usual impeccably researched historical background.