Eddie stands at his door anxiously waiting for the woman to arrive, touching the engagement ring box in his pocket for luck. He doesn't hear the footsteps behind him until it's too late...
Detective Finnegan Beck is called to a crime scene - a remote house near the rural Irish town of Cross Beg - where a dog lies whimpering beside his beloved owner's body.
At first it looks like a burglary gone wrong. But Beck spots something his colleagues didn't. The victim, Eddie Kavanagh, was wearing his smartest clothes. He'd brushed his hair. And, on closer inspection, a small velvet box containing an engagement ring is discovered in his pocket, along with a letter to a nameless woman, which seems to suggest she's in danger.
Those who knew Eddie have no idea about a female friend though - there's been no one in his life since a girl who he'd loved and who'd broken his heart decades before. Now Eddie leads a quiet, solitary existence, rarely going further than the fields behind his house to walk his sheepdog Max.
So who was the woman Eddie was waiting for? And did his connection with her ultimately lead to his murder? When a beautiful young woman is then found beaten to death, murdered exactly as Eddie had been, Beck has to ask - is the danger over? Or is it just beginning?
An absolutely addictive and atmospheric crime novel that will leave you gasping for breath. If you love gripping thrillers from Rachel Caine, Robert Dugoni and Kendra Elliot, you won't be able to put this one down.
Readers love Michael Scanlon:
'Bloody brilliant... Oh my goodness me... one seriously, fantastically and brilliantly written book with cracking characters and cracking storylines. I was hooked... Simply unputdownable!' Ginger Book Geek, 5 stars
'A page-turning, don't-put-it-down, yes-you-will-be-up-all-night kind of read... amazing!' SPW Writes, 5 stars
'Omg!! What an amazing and thrilling story!!!' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
'An amazing book... Lots of twists and turns throughout... full of surprises. I thought I knew who the killer was halfway through, but I was totally wrong... I thoroughly enjoyed this book.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
'So many twists and turns throughout the whole book. You never knew what surprise was going to happen next. This book had me holding my breath up till the end.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
'Gripping... Keeps you guessing till the end... The needle of suspicion keeps moving from one suspect to another... If you loved the detective series of Harry Bosch or Cormoran Strike, you will enjoy.' Goodreads reviewer
'Powerful... riveting... stunning.' Plucked from the Stacks, 5 stars
'If you like the Harry Hole Series by Jo Nesbø, you shouldn't miss this one... Gripping.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
'Cracking... made me tear through the pages... I thought I knew whodunnit it. I wasn't even close!... Gripping.' Between My Lines
'Tense, powerful and emotional... Gripped my attention from the very first page and I couldn't tear my eyes away... fantastic.' Stardust Book Reviews, 5 stars
'I absolutely loved this... I loved it so much... Truly a great book.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
