The Wychford Murders — Paula Gosling

Twenty years ago, when he was a young man, Detective Chief Inspector Luke Abbot broke free from the chains of Wychford. He thought he had escaped his hometown for good, leaving his bad memories and broken heart behind. He never considered the possibility of returning...because he never considered the possibility of murder. But now, three apparently unrelated women of Wychford have had their throats slit, and Luke Abbot is assigned to find the connection.

What do a plain and honest cleaning woman, a promiscuous tart, and a wealthy matron have in common? The investigation opens old wounds and reignites old passions, as Abbott learns that all three women were under the care of physician Jennifer Eames, his childhood sweetheart. He also discovers that all three were killed on the Wychford towpath--the lovers' lane of his youth, now a murderers' row.

Abbott follows the path into a confrontation with a dangerous past--and an even more dangerous present. It leads him into a world of sexual obsession, drug abuse, jealousy, and greed, where old memories pale in the face of cold-blooded murder...