Playing for the Ashes (Inspector Lynley Book 7)

Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers investigate a murder at Celandine Cottage in Kent, where milkman Martin Snell discovers the burned remains of Gabriella Patten instead of greeting her as expected. As the investigation unfolds, the detectives clash with the local investigator and uncover multiple suspects connected to the victim: her indifferent husband, the estranged wife of a national cricket team member, an angry teenager, a former prostitute, and an ex-lover who ended their relationship to preserve his marriage. The case draws attention from across England and the cricket world, becoming one of the most difficult and politically sensitive investigations of Lynley and Havers' careers. In a desperate move to identify the killer, Lynley violates department protocol, putting his position at New Scotland Yard at risk.