A private prosecution

This book is written by Eileen Dewhurst. Four young girls are found strangled and each body bears the signature of a killer who is dubbed 'the Monster' by the press.

Then a fifth killing occurs which is different from the others.

Detective Chief Superintendent Maurice Kendrick obsessively pursues the murderer and his friend Humphrey Barnes also becomes intensely interested in the case, both men trying to get to the truth via different means.

Eileen Dewhurst read English at Oxford and has published roughly a book a year since 1975.