The reader is introduced to Detective Inspector Ralph Kingdom as he attempts to solve the murder of a prominent Edinburgh citizen. The Director of the National Documentation Centre of Scotland is found stabbed to death on the Meadows, a well known park in Edinburgh. What initially looked like an opportunistic mugging and theft that went wrong soon becomes a murder hunt and nor is there a shortage of suspects. We see how one man’s innocent, though thoughtless, vote sets in chain a whole series of disastrous events.
During his investigations, Kingdom becomes romantically involved with Sara Bakewell, who coaches Scotland’s 3-Day-Eventing team. There are many twists and turns both romantic as well as professional before the case is solved. New Blood is a genuine “who dunnit” with all the information there for those smart enough to see it.