The template of the English police procedural novel seems to be fairly well established. There’s an experienced senior officer – perhaps a bit crusty – and a diverse team of younger detectives with more or less to learn. In my experience, one can usually expect good team rapport and friendly teasing. That pattern gets varied a little in A Poison Tree, first in a series about DCI Will Blake, who commands a squad in England’s Wirral district (outside Liverpool).

Blake (don’t mention the poet William Blake to him) has recently returned to work after upheaval in his family and the loss of his wife. (Right now one of his major concerns is his mother’s cat, which he has inherited and which seems to hate him.) His investigative team has not yet gelled; there’s tension between them and they’re not entirely confident about their boss yet. One particular problem is the obligatory homosexual on the team – much is made of the subtle hazing he receives – but on the other hand, there’s a suggestion he’s a bit of a prat for being so touchy about the matter.

When a beautiful teenaged girl is found murdered in a park, the major clue seems to be that someone took away the shoes she was wearing, vintage shoes she found at a charity shop. Then it turns out the shoes have a history – they belonged to a young girl who was similarly murdered decades ago – the shoes first disappeared at that time. Clues lead back to the story of a local celebrity, a rich girl who operated as a sort of Nancy Drew, “helping” the police to solve crimes.

The plot of A Poison Tree is complex and convoluted. I must admit I lost track of the characters, contemporary and historical, who figured in the story. The final solution was tragic, almost in the Greek sense, and possibly a little over the top.

I finished the book, but I’m not sure I can recommend it wholeheartedly. It was kind of hard to follow. I did like Blake, though.