Sold As Seen - Andrew Hay

When a batch of military Land Rovers returns from Afghanistan, nothing about them looks unusual. Nothing, that is, except to Ashcombe Motors.

Quietly asked by the Military Police to cast an expert eye over the vehicles before disposal, Ashcombe notice small details that don't quite add up - weight where there shouldn't be weight, welds where no welds belong. What they uncover is a smuggling operation concealed inside the chassis of decommissioned army vehicles, invisible to anyone who doesn't know exactly how machines are put together.

As Ashcombe follow the trail, the investigation leads from military yards to a respected surplus dealer, and finally to a serving soldier who thought he'd found a harmless way to help his family - just once. But small schemes have a habit of growing, and greed proves far more dangerous than ingenuity.

With a memorable cast, dry humour, and a mystery solved through expertise rather than force, this is a cosy crime where the truth isn't buried deep - just welded shut.