Wilful Cruelty (DCI Evan Warlow #20)

A body, a silent street, and far too many people who already ‘know’ what happened.

With Warlow sidelined, 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 uncovers a quieter abuse of power — one built on manipulation, fear, and the slow editing of truth. 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.

Wilful Cruelty is the twentieth novel from bestselling crime author Rhys Dylan, delivering the series’ characteristic precision and unease — recommended for readers of JD Kirk, Simon McCleave and Peter Robinson.