Not In The Flesh: Ruth Rendell

Inspector Wexford 21.  When the truffle-hunting dog starts to dig furiously, his master’s first reaction is delight at the size of the clump the dog has at the going rate, this one truffle might be worth several hundred pounds. Then the dirt falls away to reveal not a precious mushroom but the bones and tendons of what is clearly a human hand. Wexford tries to piece together events that took place eleven years earlier, a time when someone was secretly interred in a secluded patch of English countryside. Now Wexford and his team will need to interrogate everyone who lives nearby to see if they can turn up a match for the dead man among the eighty-five people in this part of England who have disappeared over the past decade. Then, when a second body is discovered nearby, Wexford experiences a feeling that’s become a rarity for the veteran - surprise. As Wexford painstakingly moves to resolve these multiple mysteries, long-buried secrets are brought to light.