Thomas Mogford has worked as a journalist for Time Out and as a translator for the European Parliament. The preceding four novels in the Spike Sanguinetti series, Shadow of the Rock, Sign of the Cross, Hollow Mountain and Sleeping Dogs have all been published by Bloomsbury and to critical acclaim. He was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger Award for best new crime writer of 2013. He is married and lives with his family in London.

thomasmogford.com / @ThomasMogford

Some wounds never heal

A thousand cuts ... We may be few, but together we can change the world

When a routine court case takes a sinister turn, defence lawyer Spike Sanguinetti starts asking dangerous questions that nobody seems to want answered. Soon, it's not just the truth that's at stake: it is everything and everyone that Spike holds precious. As the Gibraltarian sun beats relentlessly down, crimes of the past and present collide, relationships are tested and long-buried secrets exposed. Who can Spike trust? And where do his own loyalties lie?

A traditional and thoroughly satisfying crime novel

The fourth novel in Thomas Mogford's superb series ... it moves Mogford's shrewd and atmospheric Mediterranean noir into the newest and darkest of territories

Most enjoyable, vividly realised and full of reminders that the olive-clad land and the translucent sea have been the scene of battles and crimes, and will be again

It has the satisfying flavor of a classic whodunit

One of the most enjoyable crime series of recent years

Popular fiction at its best