Deception On His Mind by Elizabeth George

 

Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers of Scotland Yard is supposed to be off work after she was attacked and left beaten on her last assignment.  But when her neighbors, a young Muslim girl she has grown fond of and her father, a professor named Taymullah Azhar, are pulled into a racial confrontation in a small town, Barbara decides to go there as well.  The town is a small seaside one named Balford-le-Nez and Barbara and her family used to go there when she was a child on vacation.

But since then, the town has changed.  It lost much of its tourist trade when it became cheaper and more popular to go on vacation overseas.  There is now a significant Muslim population and one of the most successful businesses is a spice and mustard factory owned by a Muslim family.  Efforts are being made to renovate and rejuvenate the town and there are two plans, one from the long time English families and one from the Muslim contingent.  

When a Muslim man, soon to be the son-in-law of the factory owner, is found dead, a racial confrontation threatens to heat up and become uglier.  Charges of racism are shouted and the streets are full of protestors.  Taymullah is the nephew of the factory owner and has worked to represent Muslims in various situations in London.  He agrees to come and help moderate the interaction with the police.

Barbara manages to get herself assigned to the investigation which is headed by one of her friends from the training academy.  There are various suspects and ideas of what went on.  Was it tied to smuggling?  Was the victim, about to marry, actually homosexual which is not accepted in the Muslim religion?  Is there someone who doesn't want to see Muslims and native English couples date?  

This is the ninth book in the Inspector Lynley series although he doesn't appear in this one.  Readers will be interested to see learn more about Barbara and see how she works when she is not with the Inspector.  The deepening friendship between Barbara and the Azhar family is a major focus of the book along with an exploration of how Britain is changing as it becomes ever more multicultural.  This book is recommended for readers of mystery.