Dead Beat

A starred review from Publishers Weekly ushers in the electric debut of a P.I. "sure to win readers' hearts": Kate Brannigan, a Manchester-based private detective whose hobbies include Thai kick-boxing, computer hacking, and a misadventurous relationship with her journalist boyfriend Richard.
It's no thanks to Richard that Kate agrees to take on a strange missing persons case as a personal favor to a rock star, and no thanks to Richard that she is immediately reminded of why such cases are best avoided. Every rock star is on the hunt for a good lyricist, but Kate's celebrity client is determined to have only Moira Pollock: his partner in sex, drugs, and rock and roll - that is, until Moira vanishes.
Kate finds herself combing the seediest areas of Leeds in her search for Moira, and knows to expect trouble in the rougher parts of town. But who could have expected that solving the mystery of the missing lyricist and restoring her to her former life would prove a prelude to murder?