Chapter 76 (Chapter 75) Summary: The Last Devil To Die
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Chris and Patrice are eating at Le Pont Noir when Senior Investigating Officer Jill Regan arrives and joins them. Jill reveals that Luca Buttaci, a heroin dealer she had turned into an informant, has been murdered – thrown off a car park by a man called Garth. Jill confesses she is in deep trouble at the National Crime Agency because the operation to seize a large heroin shipment failed: the courier, Kuldesh Sharma, was killed before the drugs could be secured. She admits she knew Chris and Donna had been investigating behind her back and that she let them do so, secretly hoping their work would salvage her career. In a quid pro quo, Jill offers not to reveal surveillance footage of Chris breaking into a hangar on the day Dom Holt was murdered if Chris shares what he has found. Chris confirms he and Donna have already located the lost heroin, and he proposes a trade: he will give her the drugs in exchange for help identifying who murdered Kuldesh. Jill accepts, hinting she can tell him who definitely did not commit the killing.
Key Events
- Chris and Patrice are having dinner at Le Pont Noir; Chris tries to convince himself sweet‑potato fries are as good as chips.
- Jill Regan enters the restaurant and approaches their table, having deliberately come to see Chris.
- Jill announces that Luca Buttaci, who was working for her, is dead, killed by a man named Garth.
- Jill reveals the NCA sting operation failed when the heroin shipment vanished after Kuldesh Sharma’s murder.
- She drops a bombshell: she had surveillance footage of Chris breaking into the hangar where Dom Holt died, and she knows about Donna, Ibrahim, Joyce, Ron, and their investigations.
- Jill admits she allowed Chris and Donna to continue their work because she needed their help, despite NCA distrust.
- Chris confirms that he and Donna found the missing heroin.
- Jill and Chris negotiate a deal: Chris will hand over the heroin if Jill helps identify Kuldesh’s killer.
- Jill offers to start by naming people who definitely did not kill Kuldesh.
Character Development
- Chris shows tactical shrewdness: he leverages the heroin discovery to gain Jill’s cooperation rather than simply handing it over. His earlier resentment toward Jill is tempered when she admits she is a good copper in a bind.
- Patrice provides dry comic relief (commenting on the pianist, suggesting Chris not marry Jill) and shows she is unimpressed by NCA power plays. Her support for Chris is unwavering.
- Jill Regan transforms from a cold‑blooded adversary to a vulnerable ally. Her revelation that she secretly monitored Chris’s team and let them run their own investigation exposes her isolation within the NCA and her willingness to bend rules for results.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Deception and self‑deception: Chris tries to believe sweet‑potato fries are as good as chips – a small metaphor for the larger lies characters tell themselves about their motives and loyalties.
- Trust versus control: Jill refuses to trust her own agency, so she controls Chris by letting him think he is working against her. The dinner table negotiation strips away pretence, leaving only transactional honesty.
- Consequences of past actions: Chris’s earlier break‑in at the hangar returns as leverage. His past now binds him to Jill, demonstrating how earlier choices create unavoidable debts.
- The piano music – “Tiny Dancer” and “Careless Whisper” – underscore the scene’s emotional subtext: a soft, melancholy soundtrack for a hard negotiation.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 76 is a pivot point in the investigation. It transforms Jill from an antagonist into a necessary partner, merging the NCA’s resources with Chris and Donna’s street‑level knowledge. The deal struck here directly links the search for Kuldesh’s killer with the recovery of the lost heroin, setting up a race against both the criminals and the NCA’s internal politics. Additionally, it confirms that the Thursday Murder Club’s side‑investigation has been monitored all along, raising the stakes for every character who participated in the hangar operation.
Study Questions & Answers
1. Why does Jill Regan approach Chris in a restaurant rather than at their shared workplace?
Jill says everyone she works with hates her, so she avoids the office. More importantly, the private setting allows her to speak candidly about the failed sting and her distrust of the NCA – and to make her blackmail offer away from official scrutiny.
2. What leverage does Jill hold over Chris, and how does Chris respond?
Jill reveals she has surveillance footage of Chris breaking into the hangar on the day Dom Holt was murdered, plus evidence of his associates’ activities (Ibrahim visiting Connie Johnson, Joyce photographing files, etc.). Chris responds by admitting he has found the missing heroin and offers to trade it for Jill’s help in solving Kuldesh’s murder.
3. What does Jill mean when she says, “I didn’t trust the NCA, so I took the chance”?
She trusted Chris and Donna’s independent investigation more than her own agency’s motives. Rather than stopping them, she allowed them to operate in the hope that they would uncover the heroin’s location – which they did – while she faced the consequences of the failed sting alone.