Murder in a living hell!

The last thing Inspector Sam Blackstone wants to do is investigate the murder of a young lieutenant on the Western Front, but, as an ex-soldier himself, he owes a debt to General Fortesque - the soldier’s grandfather - so when the old man makes the tearful appeal, it cannot be refused.

Once he arrives at the front line, it does not take him long to realize that he is completely out of his depth. The officers resent the presence of a retired sergeant who will not take orders, and the enlisted men refuse - or do not dare - to talk to him.

As thousands are slaughtered around him, Blackstone struggles to solve one of the most difficult cases of his career. Who would kill such a popular officer? Why does no one seem to want him to unmask the murderer? And are there those in the trenches who wish to see him dead, too?

Praise for Blackstone and the Great War: ‘It’s great fun to watch the thorny Inspector sass the fatuousness out of snobbery’ - Kirkus Reviews

‘A gripping look at the horrors of WWI trench warfare’ - Publishers Weekly

Sally Spencer is the pen-name of Alan Rustage, who also writes under the pseudonym James Garcia Woods. A former teacher originally from Cheshire, he now lives in Spain.