Description

Seeking refuge from a tragic past, a forensic pathologist must search for a devious killer in a rural English village in this crime thriller series debut.

Three years ago, Dr. David Hunter left London for rural Norfolk to escape the tragic loss of his wife and daughter. Giving up his career in criminal forensics, he now works as a simple country doctor in the village of Manham. But when the corpse of a woman is found in the woods, a macabre sign from her killer decorating her body, David struggles to remain uninvolved. As a newcomer, David finds he must join the investigation in order to avoid suspicion.

When another woman disappears, the case becomes personal. This time, she is someone David knows—someone who has managed to get past the barrier around his heart. With the killer’s twisted methods screaming out to him and a brooding countryside beset with fear and distrust, David can feel the darkness gathering around him. As the clock ticks down on the young woman’s life, David must follow a macabre trail of clues—all the way to its final, horrifying conclusion.

“Brilliantly original . . . Simon’s first crime novel The Chemistry of Death absolutely blew me away and he just gets better by the book!” —Peter James, UK No. 1 bestselling author

About the Author

Simon Beckett is the international bestselling author of the David Hunter thrillers. His books have been translated into twenty-nine languages, appeared in the Sunday Times Top 10 bestseller list, and sold more than ten million copies worldwide. A former freelance journalist who has written for the Times, the Daily Telegraph, the Independent on Sundayand the Observer, Beckett’s inspiration for the first David Hunter novel came after a visit to the world-renowned Body Farm in Tennessee introduced him to the work of forensic anthropologists.

As well as co-winning the Ripper Award in 2018/19, the largest European crime prize, Beckett won the Raymond Chandler Society’s ‘Marlowe’ Award and was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger, CWA Dagger in the Library, and Theakston’s Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year.

In addition to his David Hunter series, Beckett has written five standalone novels, one of which, Where There’s Smoke, was adapted into a major two-part drama.

Praise For…

Praise for Simon Beckett

“Simon Beckett’s sixth novel featuring the forensic anthropologist David Hunter is arguably his best.” —The Times (London)

“A satisfyingly dark and twisting thriller.” —The Mail on Sunday

“An arresting setup . . . Beckett has regained his best form . . . the exigencies of a macabre investigative thriller are dispatched with characteristic aplomb.” —Financial Times

“Beckett’s masterful storytelling and macabre forensic details make his novels utterly chilling reads” —Tess Gerritsen, author of New York Times–bestseller Harvest

“The forensics are chillingly authentic, the writing is both taut and atmospheric.” —Anne Cleeves, bestselling author of the Vera Stanhope series

“Terrifying . . . Rarely have the mechanics of suspense been so effectively realized outside an Alfred Hitchcock movie.” —Daily Express

“Beckett is one of the country’s best crime writers . . . His books are intelligent, beautifully written and utterly gripping.” —Sunday Express