Wilful Cruelty

Milford Haven has a dead man, and too many dangerous assumptions. With Warlow sidelined after surgery, DI Jess Allanby inherits a case that refuses to settle. Evidence is fragmentary. Motives blur. Senior officers care more about appearances than answers. Every decision is watched. Every mistake remembered. As her team chases CCTV, scorched vehicles and reluctant witnesses, Warlow stumbles across a quieter abuse of power. One built on manipulation and manufactured fear. The echo between the cases becomes impossible to ignore and hinge on the same uncomfortable truth. Cruelty doesn't always look like rage. Sometimes it looks like strategy.