The Frost series just keeps getting better and better. Detective Inspector Frost is in top form dealing with a serial killer of local prostitutes, a new acting inspector Liz Maud, and the continual harassment from Superintendent Mullett, who can never quite understand why Frost can never seem to find a filling station that provides printed receipts for his gasoline reimbursement. Fortunately, Frost has a new DC who is quite adept at completing long overdue crime statistic reports and changing "5's" to "8's" on the gasoline reimbursement forms. Lots of the scenes had me laughing out loud. He continues to have a knack at dealing with suspects: "Do you want to confess now, or shall we waste time beating you up and claiming you fell down the stairs while drunk?" Insisting that a bus load of drunken revelers be kept out of the station, fearing the mess they would make, Mullett orders them to be gotten out of the way. Frost has the inspired idea of putting them back on the bus, whereupon they steal it, driving off quickly, and smashing Mullett's new car in the process. Mullett is already livid because his usual parking place had been taken by the bus when he arrived. Frost meets him in the parking lot and begins, "Your best bet is to say it was parked and some drunken sod ran into it." "That's exactly what did happen," snapped Mullett. "Good for you!" nodded Frost approvingly. "I almost believe you myself, and I can always see through a lie." Frost really has his hands full in this one. He has someone killing and molesting children, a serial rapist and killer abducting and torturing local prostitutes, a DC who keeps getting everything wrong, and then suddenly a thirty-fiveyear old skeleton pops up with its skull bashed in. Throughout he keeps making mistakes, wrong guesses, constantly flagellating himself for his errors, no doubt wishing it could be Mullett instead.
Throughout, he has to cajole, bribe, and browbeat Mullett into assigning more men to stakeouts, spending more on overtime, and signing Frost's forged receipts. Then his prime suspect commits suicide in a holding cell, claiming that Frost badgered him and humiliated an innocent man. And to make things worse, the evidence begins to point to the man's innocence. Set aside some time for this one, the ending will keep you riveted to your seat and chuckling all the while. Great stuff.
