Guilt Edged — Leigh Russell

The killer pressed one knee on his victim's chest to prevent him clambering to his feet. Whipping a scarf from his pocket, he held it over George's face, covering his nose and mouth completely and pushing with all his strength.

Hours seemed to elapse before George finally lay still.

In a shocking act of violence, an apparently unassuming man is ruthlessly murdered with no discernible motive. Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel and her team find themselves stumped, until a breakthrough occurs -- the victim's body yields DNA evidence from an unknown individual.

But Geraldine isn't convinced that the suspect they have in custody is truly guilty. When a witness steps forward to offer an alibi for the suspect, she makes a daring decision to release him. However, the course of events takes a sinister turn as a second murder is committed that same night. With all the evidence pointing to the recently freed suspect, has Geraldine made a terrible mistake?

As Steel delves deeper into the suspect's enigmatic past, he goes on the run, leaving behind a trail of uncertainty. Even his own wife seems to cast doubts on his innocence. Amidst the turmoil, Geraldine grapples with her own guilt for potentially releasing a killer. Is she driven by a need to uncover the truth or haunted by her own mistakes?

Geraldine is consumed by self-doubt, struggling to maintain focus on the case at hand. As lies and secrets unravel, the police must unveil the truth before more lives are claimed.

With a race against time, the tension escalates as the story hurtles toward an electrifying twist.

Prepare for a riveting journey as you untangle the web of deceit in this heart-pounding thriller. Guilt Edged will keep you guessing until the final page.

Fans of Angela Marsons, Mel Sherratt, and Karin Slaughter will relish Leigh Russell's masterful storytelling.

Can be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel