Delayed & Denied by J J Salkeld, £1.99 Kindle Edition

The eighth instalment in J J Salkeld’s best-selling Lakeland Murders series is a novella, featuring a recently retired (and now pram-pushing) Andy Hall, as well as DI Jane Francis and DS Ian Mann.

Blunt and blackly humorous CSI Sandy Smith is on hand once again, and Ray Dixon returns to the fray.

Set in an era of continuing cutbacks, Hall becomes involved in a Quixotic attempt to prove the innocence of a Whitehaven man convicted years before of murdering his wife, before dumping her body in Crummock Water.

And when another woman is strangled to death in the town, Hall and DI Francis begin to wonder if the cases could be connected.

Told with Salkeld's usual blend of gritty humour and social observation, Delayed & Denied casts a sharp, sideways glance at the dispensation of justice in difficult times.

Cumbrians will enjoy recognising familiar locations in the book, which is set mainly in Kendal and Whitehaven, with further scenes in Penrith and Workington.

J J Salkeld has regularly been an Amazon ‘Kindle All Star’ author in the UK in the past few months - meaning that he is among the 100 top-selling KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) authors.