Publication Day Review: The Tailor: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan

 

Who would kill a bespoke tailor?

 

That is the initial central question for DS George Cross of the Avon and Somerset police in The Tailor: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan. This eighth book in the series opens with a murder on a train. There is absolutely no question it was a murder.

 

The deceased man was found in the first-class bathroom of a passenger train headed from Bristol to Paddington Cross in London. Apparently, the plastic bag over his head did not fully do the job, so the killer deeply slashed the victim’s throat. He cut so deeply that the killer almost severed the head from the body.

 

That got the job done.

 

He also got away with it with nobody noticing anything at all.

 

Because the victim was wearing a bespoke suit with the label of “Titcomb & Titcomb’s of Park Street,” Detective Sergeant George Cross believes there is a good chance that the deceased is one of their clients. Within a short period of time, they learn that the deceased is one William Titcomb.

 

Not a client, but one of the owners of a long running family business. A third-generation tailor, William Titcomb was married to Min, and had two small children. His twin sister, Gwen, is also heavily involved in the business.

 

According to Gwen, he was headed to Heathrow Airport to board a flight to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for fittings with two clients. Then he was to travel on to Xiamen, China, where they have a tailoring operation and check in there. Min comes from China, has contacts, and the facility in China has been a huge boost to the family business. Mr. Titcomb was traveling with two suitcases, presumably full with the suits for the clients in Dubai. Those  suitcases and their contents are missing.

 

Where are the suitcases? Who killed the bespoke tailor? Was he killed for the suits?

 

Just some of the questions that DS George Cross and the assembled team must answer in The Tailor: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan. If the case was not enough, Cross and several others have to deal with professional and personal upheaval in their lives. For one thing, as long-time readers know, Josie Ottey, has been promoted. That means she is now superior in rank to Cross.

 

An issue that Cross is slowly adjusting to as it has been very hard for him as social situations are very difficult. Ottey’s promotion means that she will no longer be with him in the field conducting interviews and gathering information. That fact also means that she won’t be around to manage him or smooth over awkward situations with those he talks to as he goes about investigations. That has the potential to be a real problem for Cross and a huge problem for the next person in that role.

 

Then there is a family situation for Cross that is best left to the reader to discover. I don’t want to reveal more as it could be construed as a spoiler as it is a major piece of the plot. However, for those readers, like me, who have gone through the death of a loved one due to cancer and absolutely hate cancer storylines, it is not that. In fact, the issue here is not remotely medically related in any way, shape, or form. You can rest easy on that aspect of the read.

 

The Tailor: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan is a complicated, fast moving, and highly entertaining read. Much is going on in many different ways in the latest book in this long running series. This review just skims the surface of this very good book.

 

Strongly Recommended.

 

Author Website: https://timsullivanusa.com/ 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4fjUNAD

 

My digital ARC came from the publisher, Grove Atlantic, of Atlantic Crime, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Review: The Teacher: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan

 

With DS Josie Ottey off as she moves her family to a new house, DS George Cross is stuck partnering with his boss, DCI Ben Carson, as The Teacher: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan begins. Those of us who have read the series to this point understand very well that this is not an optimal situation for DS George Cross.

 

In the coming days and weeks, it will get way worse for him as well as a couple of other members of the investigate team.

 

Carson and Cross have been called out to the scene of where an elderly man apparently went down a narrow staircase the hard way. The smear of blood, a long trail, shows the path Alistair Moreton’s head took in its final seconds. The neck is obviously broken. While DCI Carson sees a slip and fall, PC Trevor Bain saw the defensive puncture wounds to the hands of the deceased man and called for assistance.

 

As DS Cross notes, there are also bites to the victim’s legs as well as some sort of puncture wound to his chest. It is clearly not a simple slip and fall. In Cross’ opinion, the police constable was one hundred percent correct in alerting the Major Crime Unit of the Avon and Somerset Police.

 

What follows is a complicated case and a hunt for the killer or killers. Along the way, not only do we see Cross deal with a series of challenges, professionally and personally, we also follow as various members of the team deal with their own professional and personal challenges. In every case, those challenges would be spoilers if I revealed them here, so I won’t.

 

Instead, I will simply point out that The Teacher: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan is a very good police procedural. Part of the excellent series that began with The Dentist. This read, and the others, should be read in order as each one extensively builds on the previous books of the series.

 

 

Strongly recommended.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4rBurxe

 

 

I received a digital ARC from the publisher, Atlantic Crime, imprint of Grove Atlantic, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.

  

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Publication Day Review: From the Dust: A Novel by David Swinson

 

Death is something the retired DC Metropolitan Police Department Detective is very familiar with, professionally and personally. Graham Sanderson has quiet working homicides in Washington, DC, and moved into his dad’s house in upstate New York. Most of his possessions sit in storage as he came to the house to help his brother, Tommy, after dad died. Tommy is agoraphobic and has not left the property in many years. With dad’s death, he had nobody to help him, so Graham came with a few things and moved into a guest bedroom in the house.

 

He came with some clothes and a few mementos. That includes the urn with his late wife’s ashes. It sits, top off, next to his bed and he talks to her on a daily basis. The grief remains strong and he is coping with that, and other issues, as best as he can. With no hobbies and the memories of a lifetime of police work, he has far too much time on his hands to think and brood.

 

In the hours after the service for dad, William Finn, who is the Chief of Police, asks for his help as the small local department is very short staffed. A patrol officer was just recently promoted to investigator. The guy is good, or he would not have been promoted, but Chief Finn would like Sanderson to consult as they have a serious problem.

 

There has been a killer at work in the area and clues are scarce. Suspects are non-existent. Chief Finn wants to keep the investigation in house and not ask for outside agency help as the second, and most recent, victim was his nephew. He wants Sanderson’s help. Something Sanderson is reluctant to do at all as he is burned out, adjusting to being retired, mending a relationship with his younger brother that he has not seen in many years, losing his dad, among other things, and does not want to annoy anyone inside or outside the department.

 

But, Chief Finn is persistent, and Sanderson finally agrees to review the case file to this point and take an impartial fresh look. The rookie investigator, Mike Gottert, welcomes him with open arms and quickly invites Sanderson to go along as he goes back to the scene of the second body with a plan to recanvass the area, knock on doors, and poke around.

 

Before long, while not carrying a shield, Sanderson is almost as involved in the case as if he were a member of the department. Working helps occupy his mind, even if the case keeps coming closer and closer to home. A case that may have also, once again, made him a target.

 

From the Dust: A Novel by David Swinson is a complex and extremely enjoyable police procedural. With its rich characters and storytelling, it is also a testimony, in a way, about coping with complex mental health challenges in a world that often does not understand what folks are dealing with on a daily basis. This is one of those books that comes fully alive for the reader in a variety of ways and keeps the reader turning pages long after one should quit for the night.

 

All in all, From the Dust: A Novel by Doug Swinson is a mighty good read and very much recommended.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4ccY7vQ

 

 

My digital ARC reading copy came by way of the publisher, Mulholland Books, imprint of Little, Brown and Company, through NetGalley with no expectation of a positive review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

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