The Monk

LoveReading Says

When a monk turns up dead in the woods, Detective Sergeant George Cross with his unusual methods and dogged determination, is left to solve the mystery of his murder. The Monk is the fifth book in the DS George Cross series by Tim Sullivan featuring  Cross, a detective on the autism spectrum with an unimpeachable record, but with eccentric preferences (see his love of loose leaf tea served in bone china) and awkward interactions with other people.

He likes things as he likes them, and the monastery—a place of order and silence—appeals to him greatly. “The Monk” of the title is Brother Dominic Augustus, a rare book expert who didn’t appear to have any enemies in the monastery. 

If you’ve read other books in the series, you will already know and appreciate Cross’s supporting cast of characters, including Cross’s partner DS Josie Ottey, who has the patience of a saint; Dr. Michael Swift, the goth who is also a forensic scientist; and Raymond, George’s father.

Sullivan succeeds at making the supporting characters interesting, no matter how minor their role. For those new to the DS Cross series, know that reading any of the previous books in the series isn’t necessary to understand what’s happening in this taut police procedural. 

As in all good mysteries, nothing is as it first appears. But Cross’s single-minded pursuit and his idiosyncratic nature—not to mention a well-timed tea or three—results in another closed case.

Reviewed by Maureen Stapleton
Maureen Stapleton, a writer and journalist, has written for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Radio Times, Heat, and many others.
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