No Shred of Evidence

Four young women have been arrested for the murder of a man who was apparently drowning when they reached him in a Cornish cove. An act of mercy has been reframed as homicide. Inspector Ian Rutledge arrives to find the local police convinced the case is settled, the families of the accused furious, and no witness whose testimony can explain what actually happened. As Rutledge investigates, the killing continues — which means the four women did not do it, or it was not a single act.

Simon Prebble narrates with the atmospheric precision the Cornish setting demands — the sea, the cliffs, the village's closed ranks against an outsider investigating people they know — and his Rutledge carries the characteristic weight of a man working a case that has become unexpectedly personal. At just over 11 hours, No Shred of Evidence is a solid entry in a series that rewards patience with precise, satisfying conclusions.