I do love a flawed female detective (hence my current obsession with Jane Casey's books) and I could grow to love Alex Cupidi.  Alex has moved to a small town in Kent, she's a single Mum with a difficult relationship with both her slightly odd teenage daughter and her own Mum.  A prickly character, she wants to be likes but seems to often say the wrong thing.

A long-lost mother turns up in London, then vanishes just as quickly.  The next day her body is found in the marshes of Kent - though she seems to have been there for days.  What's going on?  The body count rises and Alex and her team get drawn into the underside of UK life.

A few surprises but for me the main draw is the characters, rather than the mystery itself.  Not as enjoyable as Maeve Kerrigan for me just yet, but I will try the next in the series