WINTER FROST

Frost's main concern is for the safety of a missing school girl. Nine weeks ago Vicky Stuart, eight years old, didn't return home from school and in spite of exhaustive enquiries and extensive searches, has never been seen since. Another little girl from the same school is reported missing. Her body is found...raped and strangled.

The sleepy English town of Denton is having more than its share of crime. A serial killer is murdering local prostitutes; a man has unearthed a long-buried skeleton in his yard; add to that a series of burglaries. But Detective Inspector Jack Frost's main concern is for a missing girl. Nine weeks earlier, eight-year-old Vicky Stuart didn't return home from school. She's not been seen since. Another girl from the same school is reported missing. Her body is found...raped and strangled. Frost's prime suspect, strongly protesting his innocence, hangs himself in his cell, leaving a note blaming Frost for his suicide. Subsequent evidence points to the man's innocence. The clock is ticking, and D.I. Frost is in serious trouble. R.D. Wingfield's earlier novels are "Frost at Christmas, Night Frost, A Touch of Frost," and "Hard Frost."