Tim Sullivan – The Dentist

‘The Dentist’ by Tim Sullivan is the first book in the DS George Cross series. Here we have a copper with a difference. Cross has Asperger’s syndrome and yes, he has no empathy or social skills but his determination to find out the facts and get justice in every case he encounters more than make up for this.

Cross isn’t the easiest person for his colleagues to work with as his Aspergers makes it that he really doesn’t understand the banter or any of the things people take for granted. He is loved by the prosecution lawyers as they always know that when Cross is the officer on the case everything will be checked and double-checked. The proof is in the pudding, so to speak, he has the best conviction rate in Avon and Somerset Police.

Cross and his partner, Ottey are on the case of a homeless man found murdered. They find a possible suspect, but Cross has his niggles and they are soon digging into the past and finding connections where there should none. Cross and Ottey are on a case that will shock everyone.

I like Cross and Ottey as partners. Ottey knows Cross has his foibles, but she also realises how experienced he is, as an officer, and she can learn a lot from him. They also have a police trainee working with Cross, Alice Mackenzie, she is young and has no clue how to handle Cross and his Aspergers. This does culminate in some funny moments between them. Due to Cross’s Aspergers, he doesn’t realise that Alice needs to be told if she has done good work so she usually gets no recognition in words.

A well-paced story that has plenty of details and twists, with a main character that may drive you a little crazy but he gets the job done, where others may not, due to detail. I rather liked George Cross with his quirks and instincts. I found him different from the usual policeman and that makes him stick in my head. I am off to read the next nook now!

Thank you to Damp Pebbles and the author for the book today to take part in the blog tour.