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‘Quite brilliant’
Sunday Times

‘A tale of crime and punishment that Zola wouldn’t disown’
Literary Review

‘Armstrong breaks fresh ground with each new novel. None of his contemporaries seem more sure-footed... British crime writing is on a roll at the moment and this is about as good as it gets’ Literary Review

Detective Frank Kavanagh has been transferred to London following a nervous breakdown. A complex man traumatised by his recent hunt for a serial killer and his own private grief at the desertion of his wife, he is regarded with suspicion by his new chiefs. So when he is assigned to a case of abduction, Kavanagh knows his reputation is on the line.

The kidnapping, though, takes a sinister and confusing turn. Is it an inside job? The act of a lone madman as opposed to professionals? Kavanagh’s unorthodox ideas get him into trouble with his colleagues, but a macabre discovery in the remote Staffordshire countryside seems to bear him out. His pursuit eventually builds to a heart-stopping climax on the shores of Lake Como, and to a no-less shattering personal revelation for Kavanagh himself.

David Armstrong’s powerful new novel has all the dark passion and wrought intensity of a classic film-noir, and will further establish his reputation as one of our most original and powerful contemporary crime writers.