Vexed

Alison Clarke is murdered and Over-Done scrawled in ketchup on her wall. She was a leading contestant in 'Kitchen Maestro' a TV cookery contest with abrasive chef Robert Randell and George goes undercover to take her place. She soon finds that,aside from nerdy but affable young Marcus,the other entrants are frighteningly competitive - and then a second contestant is killed. George is revealed to be a truly excellent cook but it is Jack who uses a culinary ruse to trap the culprit. However he is exposed when he tries to claim George's superb cooking is his own to impress new girlfriend Beth.

As George and Jack investigate the murder of headmaster Brian Chaps,his neck skewered with a knitting needle,George's parents' divorce preys on her mind and Jack's attempts at levity do not help. Prime suspect is parent Davina Hall,who rowed with the victim and has a knitting needle in her bag but being left-handed exonerates her. Several other mothers,all avid knitters,admit to trying to bribe Chaps to enrol their children and Jack falls for one of them but George believes she is the killer. Will a second murder prove her right?

Thrilled that she has dozens of replies from her on-line dating site George joins Jack in investigating an armed robbery at the Poynter family's jewellers. A valuable diamond has been stolen but patriarch Ron Poynter is reluctant to involve the law,despite evidence suggesting an inside job. Tony however points the detectives towards a known gang of robbers whose den they raid,learning that a member of the Poynter family indeed contacted them to rob the shop. George and Jack must find out which one. Jack is also asked to be best man at his sarcastic,surgeon brother's wedding but old fraternal animosity surfaces,leading George to give up the Internet dating to console Jack and accompany him to the wedding.