THE HEADHUNTERS

Peter Lovesey (Sphere, £19.99)

One of Peter Lovesey's favourite themes for his detective stories involves the innocent caught up in sinister events. But in The Headhunters it's not easy to tell who is innocent and who is guilty.

The story starts with Gemma casually talking of killing her boss, whom she cannot stand. Her friend Jo joins in laughingly, but it's no laughing matter when she discovers a real body on the beach at Selsey soon afterwards.

The body is that of a nearly naked woman. No one has reported a missing person, and she remains unidentified for a while. And then Gemma's boss really does go missing, and Jo's eccentric boyfriend comes under suspicion for various reasons.

Curiouser and curiouser. It's a good plot, culminating in an exciting finale with a well-hidden ending.