Get ready to be hooked by the fourth thrilling and atmospheric murder mystery from the million-copy-selling crime writer: DC Smith has solved hundreds of crimes, but he's never been accused of one. Until now...

'Pitch-perfect crime writing.' DAILY EXPRESS
'Peter Grainger's books are addictive.' CRIMINAL ELEMENT

'Had me gripped from the very start to the extremely satisfying ending.' ***** Reader Review
'Where has Peter Grainger been my whole life?' ***** Reader Review
'I read a LOT of murder mysteries and this series is one of the best!' ***** Reader Review

In the peace and tranquillity of the woods at Pinehills on a Saturday afternoon, a mobile phone begins to ring. The phone belongs to DC Smith and it isn’t unusual that the call is from Kings Lake Central police station; what is unusual is the fact that he seems to be the subject of an investigation rather than taking part in one.

What can the links be between a prisoner’s violent death in another county, the disappearance of two teenagers and the highest profile case in Kings Lake for many years? As Smith and his team begin to untangle the threads, one thing becomes clear – they are dealing with some of the most dangerous people that they have yet encountered.

‘Ensconced in Kings Lake, in the company of Smith and his team, I didn’t want to leave.' FINANCIAL TIMES
'The books are comforting, the writing is subtle and the plots are gripping.' THE TIMES

"Once I was ensconced in Kings Lake, in the company of Smith and his team, I didn’t want to leave … What sets Grainger’s books apart from the typical police procedural is the fully realised characters, who appear to live in a gentler world, on a time continuum that makes sense, progressing and evolving from book to book." - Financial Times

"The books are comforting, the writing is subtle and the plots are gripping." - The Times