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  But during our conversation he touches on something I find interesting and still has me thinking. I mention about how serial killing - sorry, Repeat Offending -is so much more prevalent in countries such as the USA, Russia and China, and ask if it is simply to do with their size and the fact that populations are so much more spread out.

  'What makes you think it is more prevalent in those countries than here?' he asks.

  I point out that statistics show that so many more documented cases occur in those countries.

  'Well… maybe they're all just a bit cleverer over here,' he says. I am not sure if the twinkle is back again, and I still have no idea if he was being serious, or deliberately obtuse.

  As our interview draws to a close, I sense him drying up, as if he has said as much as he is prepared to say and isn't going to be pressed to say anything more. I decide to call it a night.

  As I finish my drink I catch him glance over at a woman sitting across the other side of the lounge. Auburn-haired and dazzlingly attractive, she is deeply immersed in the book on her lap. But as he looks at her, she lifts her head just in time to catch his gaze. She does not smile, nor acknowledge him in any way, but holds it for several seconds, before returning to her reading. His eyes remain on her a fleeting few seconds more before he returns his gaze to me. Once more, he is wearing the mask I have already seen several times this evening. And I know that if I were to ask him what just transpired, he would give me a look that would say, 'I have no idea what you are talking about.' For that reason, I don't bother.

  Rising, I ask if he has far to go. Only then does he inform me that he is staying there that night. Which is when I realise. Throughout our time together he has told me nothing about Jamie Carver, the man. We have not touched upon his private life at all. I have no idea how he spends his time outside work, his interests, not even his sexual orientation, though thinking about the woman reading, I can probably hazard a guess.

  I think about his blank stare and how he is giving nothing away. I think about how such a capacity serves him when he is investigating major crime and trying to track down repeat-murderers and sex-crime offenders. Very well, I imagine.

  And as I head out to my car having thanked him for his time, the thought occurs. Have I just met the UKs Foremost, Serial-Sex-Crime Investigator?

  Have you read The Worshipper Trilogy yet?

  Book One - Last Gasp. The last time DCI Jamie Carver let a would-be victim act as bait for a serial killer it ended badly. Now they want him to do it again, only this time the 'victim' is a dominatrix!

  Book Two - Final Breath. A monstrous killer, safe behind bars. But how safe is 'safe'? An archive of murder and debauchery, poised to ruin reputations, careers, lives. A detective running out of time to find what he seeks.

  Book Three - Out Of Air. One city - Paris. Two killers - one in hiding, the other stalking the streets. A pair of innocents, bewitched into the deadliest danger. The detective who must find them all, before the worst happens.

  For more information, visit:- www.robertfbarker.co.uk

  Robert F Barker was born in Liverpool, England. During a thirty-year police career, he worked in and around some of Northwest England's grittiest towns and cities. As a senior detective, he led investigations into all kinds of major crime including, murder, armed robbery, serious sex crime and people/drug trafficking. Whilst commanding firearms and disorder incidents, he learned what it means to have to make life-and-death decisions in the heat of live operations. His stories are grounded in the reality of police work, but remain exciting, suspenseful, and with the sort of twists and turns crime-fiction readers love.

  For updates about new releases, as well as information about promotions and special offers, visit the author's website and sign up for the VIP Mailing List at:-

  http://robertfbarker.co.uk