Last Dance, Mark Billingham

It’s been just shy of two monthssince Declan Miller’s wife - and fellow detective - Alex vanished from theMajestic Ballroom mid-competition only to wind up dead on a  Blackpool street hours later.

Dec, who was immediately put onmedical leave can’t hack sitting around doing nothing so he takes his awfuljokes and quirky attitude back to work. Teaming up with Xiu, his replacement,their first case is murder at the ‘how on earth did they give it three stars’Sands hotel.

Was this a northern ganglandkilling, fratricide or maybe a jealous spouse with a hitman on speed dial. Decworks the case with Xiu, his dancer friends, a young homeless informant andAlex who despite being dead keeps showing up in his kitchen to chat.

Billingham has blended a northern policeprocedural with Strictly Come Dancing added some genuinely surprising plottwists and come up with a winner.