The Fifth Column (The Inspector Ruiz Mysteries Book 3)

The murder of an American member of the International Brigade training in a village deep in the heart of Republican Spain has implications which soon stretch far beyond a single death. As mutual suspicions spread amongst the various groups which make up the brigade, it seems as if the unit - which is desperately needed for the defence of Madrid - is about to disintegrate.
And so it is that Paco Ruiz is once more called upon to revert to his pre-war role as homicide detective.
It is not a role that Paco relishes. He has little idea of how to deal with these people from a foreign land whose culture he does not even begin to understand. And even some of the locals seem less than willing to co-operate.
Why do some of the peasants seem glad the brigadista who came to defend them is dead? Why does the Lincoln's commander insist that the murderer must have come from outside the village, when it is obvious to Paco that he did not? And how great is the danger that before the case is over Paco will lose Cindy Walker - the woman he loves - to her old college professor?
As the clock relentlessly ticks away, Paco struggles with one of the most complex cases of his career, never realising that he too, has been marked for death.
Regular readers of Sally Spencer's Woodend and Paniatowski books will already be familiar with Paco Ruiz, who makes his first appearance in THE BUTCHER BEYOND, crops up again in ECHOES OF THE DEAD (selected by Kirkus Reviews as one of the 12 best detective novels of 2011) and plays a vital role in DEATH'S DARK SHADOWS.