Inspector Ricardo Ramirez investigates a string of dead prostitutes from Cuba to Canada in this carefully constructed mystery from award-winning author Peggy Blair.

Murders always multiply when there’s a full moon, Inspector Ricardo Ramirez knows. As he’s investigating a vandal in the art world, a ghost appears by Ramirez’s side…a sure sign that another murder victim is on the way. Ramirez’s fears are confirmed when a dead prostitute is found in Havana with nylons wrapped tightly around her neck, an MO that connects to his only cold case.

When another woman’s body is discovered in a similar condition on a First Nation reserve in Northern Ontario, Detective Charlie Pike struggles to determine whether the murder is a standalone crime or if the Highway Strangler has struck again. Before long, both detectives find themselves tracking a killer whose reach extends further than they could have imagined.

As the pressure mounts, Inspector Ramirez has to piece together the clues and track down an international serial killer before his government silences him.

Peggy Blair was a lawyer for more than thirty years. She is the author of the award-winning and critically acclaimed Inspector Ramirez mysteries The Beggar’s Opera, The Poisoned Pawn, and Hungry Ghosts. She lives in Ottawa.

Peggy Blair's profile page

"Intelligent and well researched, with a terrific sense of atmosphere and pace. Reminds me of Qiu Xiaolong's Inspector Chen, one of my favourite series. Recommended."

Sam Wiebe, author of Last of the Independents

“As a longtime lawyer who spent a large portion of her career in Aboriginal law, Blair is well aware of what she’s doing here, and handles the circumstances deftly. […] The seriousness of the crimes and Blair’s critical eye for the failings of the legal institutions of two very different countries add a somber tone to this exciting procedural.”

—National Post

“…heavy on atmosphere and style, the two places Blair shines”

—Globe & Mail

“Hungry Ghosts is one of the best mysteries to come out of Ottawa this or any year.”

—Ottawa Citizen

“Blair goes more assured with each novel.”

—Toronto Star

“Terrific cop characters Ricardo Ramirez and Charlie Pike—intrepid, quietly anti-authoritarian investigators relentlessly sleuthing in their isolated corners of the world—and locations in non-touristy Cuba and the impoverished Canadian Shield make for a cracking good read.”

—Winnipeg Free Press

“Peggy Blair writes like an author possessed, with story-telling skills that make her a must-read writer beyond the mystery genre.”

—Hamilton Spectator

“Blair’s prose is evocative, nary a word amiss.”

—Vancouver Sun

“Hungry Ghosts is an irresistibly page-turning addition to a series that combines tension, mystery, and unexpected humour in the form of the clever Inspector Ramirez.”

—Open Book Toronto

“Part of the genius of this novel is Blair’s ongoing exploration of cultures with which the average Canadian reader is not necessarily familiar … Suffice to say, this is a book worth reading.”

—Ottawa Citizen

“An affecting series. Even if impoverished and politically oppressed Havana presents unique burdens, Ramirez is not without a sense of humour as he goes about his clever sleuthing.”

—Toronto Star