To best sum up WITH NO ONE AS WITNESS, I'll state that the book is like an entire chocolate cake.  This book is something you can truly sink your teeth into and savor for days.  The size alone (772 pages) keeps the reader busy, but the narrative, characters, and murder mystery all keep your mind racing with new ideas.

On the streets of London, a madman is killing boys one by one.  Each boy is strangled, palms are burned, restraint marks are obvious, and the boys' navels are all missing.  Acting Superintendent Thomas Lynley is assigned the case and he requests that Detective Constable Barbara Havers, stripped of her title of sergeant, work with him.  Also joining the team is the newly promoted Sergeant Winston Nkata, a man who is unsure if he has the job because of merit or skin color.  You see, of the five victims four are black, Hispanic, or a cross.  Nkata fears he has been brought in to soothe racial tensions.

Barbara Havers is shocked to learn she will be working with the man who has taken her job.  Tensions are high, but a killer is on the loose.  She cannot afford to let her personal feelings get in the way.  No matter how hard it may be.

This is a very meaty mystery.  Twists and turns abound, but nothing is going to prepare the reader for some events that put shivers down the spine.  I spent a good deal of time on the edge of my seat.

Barbara and Lynley come across as very human characters.  Their faults and strengths are showcased in this novel, and it makes them very real to the reader.  This is my first Lynley mystery, and I know for certain that it will not be my last.