If your taste runs to traditional crime fiction set in a small sleepy English town, than look no further than Mirror Image, a truly perfect example of the genre. The writing is faultless-- all the correct characters are here, from the decent, gracefully ageing Chief Inspector Jim Ashworth to Lee Swanson, the nasty little town bully. The plot is beautifully executed with all the right twists, centring on the mystery of three prostitutes all mutilated in the same way and dumped in water, and drawing on the more personal puzzle of Detective Sergeant Holly Bedford"s love life. All this is set against a background rumble of small-town villains, who provide the necessary contrast to more bizarre expressions of evil. Will the Chief Inspector be able to do a deal with Swanson, in order to find the serial killer before he strikes again? A perfect comfort read for those long evenings when rain is lashing at the windows and who knows who is walking the streets... -- Helen Falconer