Murder by the River Usk: Welsh detectives investigate a puzzling cold case

A cold case warms up when an archaeological dig uncovers the remains of a student who went missing a decade previously.

It was a missing person case that bugged ex-inspector Fabia Havard long after she left the force. Now she has been asked by her former protégé and ongoing love interest, DCI Matt Lambert, to aid the investigation.

Caleb Morgan went missing whilst studying at a university campus near the ancient Roman city of Caerleon. His friends and family were interviewed and an extensive search carried out, but to no avail.

Now, with his body finally found during an archaeological dig, partly exposed due to the riverbank subsiding after a flood, there is new evidence.

It is clear he was murdered. The question facing the police is who did it and why? As they probe deeper into his background, suspicions arise around a local firebrand preacher, a boxer and the police themselves.

With much of the material being circumstantial it will take excellent detective work to finally put the matter to rest. But Fabia's unofficial involvement will cause a stir and even threaten the integrity of the whole case.

MURDER BY THE RIVER USK is the third standalone murder mystery by Pippa McCathie set in South Wales. It can be enjoyed on its own or alongside the other books. The full list is as follows:

1. MURDER IN THE VALLEYS

2. MURDER AT THE OLD ABBEY

3. MURDER BY THE RIVER USK

4. MURDER IN A WELSH TOWN

5. MURDER OF A GENTLEMAN

6. MURDER OF A SCOUNDREL