Detective Elinor Saxby thinks she's found her perfect rural retreat: a crooked little cottage amid the towering pines of the New Forest. But bad things still happen in beautiful places . . .
On a lonely stretch of shingle, where the Solent laps the forest's edge, something terrible is about to wash ashore.
The bloated body of a young man. Several days dead.
A ragged wound gapes in his chest. Because this was no accident. He's been shot at close range, then dumped.
City cop Elinor's on the case - and utterly out of her depth.
The frosty coastguard tells Elinor the victim is a stranger. From out of town. But Elinor would swear she knows more than she's saying . . .
Before long, a second body is discovered deep in the forest.
Same wound. Same cold-blooded MO. Same killer?
It's up to Elinor to unravel the truth from the lies, before more victims die. But she'd better watch her back.
Because here in the New Forest, secrets run deeper - and darker - than the murky waters of the Solent itself.
Trusting the wrong person might just cost Elinor everything . . .
Fans of Ann Cleeves, Elly Griffiths, Stig Abell and Carol Cole are sure to be mesmerized by this atmospheric British mystery, set amid the hauntingly beautiful terrain of the New Forest.
READERS LOVE LINDA MATHER:
'A born storyteller.' Judith Cutler, author of Detective Fran Harman Mysteries
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Moody, immersive, and threaded with tension, this is a mystery that settles around you like fog - quiet at first, then impossible to shake. A wonderfully atmospheric read for anyone who loves their crime fiction with heart, shadows, and a strong sense of place.' Leanne, NetGalley
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Absolutely brilliant . . . a police procedural set in a wonderfully perfect location.' Lisa, Amazon
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I was completely drawn in from the first page . . . moody, immersive and quietly unsettling in a way that makes it impossible to step away. I read it in a matter of hours, completely forgetting about everything else for the day.' MoMo, Amazon
'A gripping yarn.' Edward Marston, author of The Railway Detective
MEET THE SLEUTH
Forty-something Elinor Saxby is a Birmingham CID legend: disciplined, intelligent and independent to a fault. A gifted detective chief inspector who should have climbed even higher - were it not for the deeply traumatic case that ruined everything. Leaving her battling insomnia, PTSD and a lingering sense that she'll never fully outrun her past. Will moving to New Forest CID - and a secluded new home in the country - bring Elinor the peace she craves? Or is she about to get more than she bargained for . . . ?
THE SETTING
New Forest National Park is a place of bleak beauty: an ancient landscape of dense pine woods, open heathland and winding lanes where wild ponies roam freely. The air is thick with the scent of resin and salt from the nearby coast, and the shifting light through the trees creates pockets of shadow and secrecy. Idyllic on the surface, with its secluded villages and luxury retreats, it is also a place where isolation runs deep - where something can happen unseen, and the forest itself seems to hold its breath.