Chief Inspector Banks is about to embark on one of the most difficult cases of his career -personally and professionally. Banks' life is in turmoil. His wife is now living with another man and his career is in the doldrums, thanks to a feud with Chief Constable Riddle. He considers the possibility of change. Then, late one night, he is summoned to Chief Constable Riddle's house. Riddle's sixteen-year-old daughter Emily has run away from home and, putting the past behind him, he is requesting that Banks use his unorthodox methods to find her in London and return her to her family, with the utmost discretion. Banks tracks down Emily in South London, where she is living as "Louisa" with gangster Barry Clough. "Louisa" is adamant that she is happy with her new life and refuses to return to Yorkshire. But when she later turns up at Banks' hotel, asking for help, Banks is pulled deeper into the events and complications of the young girl's life. A month later he is called to a local nightclub and is deeply shocked and affected by the gruesome scene he finds there. Cold is the Grave is the eleventh Inspector Banks novel and a gripping journey into the seedy underbelly of London's underground club scene.
