An unstoppable serial killer. A fifth girl missing. A long-buried secret. A gripping crime thriller perfect for fans of LJ Ross, Mel Sherratt and Mark Billingham.

There's a serial killer on the loose in north-east England. Four bodies have already been discovered. A fifth girl, Michelle Summers, has just disappeared.

When a body is discovered, everyone fears the worst. But this isn't Michelle - this corpse has been dead for over fifty years.

Out-of-favour DC Ian Bradshaw is pulled off the main case to investigate the skeleton. But it soon becomes clear that dark secrets lay buried along with the body - and now the police have more than one killer to worry about...

The beginning of the highly acclaimed series starring Ian Bradshaw and journalists Helen Norton and Tom Carney, this is a gripping crime thriller you won't be able to put down.

SEE WHAT BESTSELLING AUTHORS ARE ALREADY SAYING ABOUT BRITAIN'S BEST NEW CRIME AUTHOR

'Howard Linskey is one of the best new writers around and this is the start of a must-read series' Mark Billingham


'A new master of the gripping, gritty thriller. Howard Linskey takes you right to the heart of it.' Paul Finch

'This is lacerating fare that makes most current crime fiction look like thin gruel' Financial Times

'Linskey has elevated this story to a level of complexity and humanity seldom approached by British writers previously ... A new name on our criminal horizon' Maxim Jakubowski

'Gripping and convincing' Kimberley Chambers

'Brilliant ... This is first class stuff, an unstoppable tale, a real page-turner not to be missed' Sarah Broadhurst

'Serial killer thrillers don't come much better than this. Old secrets and terrible new crimes woven into an immensely satisfying, utterly compelling narrative which keeps you constantly guessing. Fans of Linskey's critically acclaimed David Blake series will already know what an outstanding author he is, everyone else ... prepare to add another name to your must-read list' Eva Dolan

'Linskey weaves together a compelling and twisty tale that gripped me from page one. If you like Val McDermid's thrillers, you'll love this' Mark Edwards