Simon Serrailler finds himself in devastating new territory as a sophisticated drugs’ network sets its sights on Lafferton and the surrounding villagesDCS Simon Serrailler has long regarded drugs ops in the Lafferton area as a waste of time. Small-time dealers are picked up outside the local secondary school, they’re given a fine or a suspended and away they go. And rinse and repeat. But when the body of a young drug addict is found in neighbouring Starly, the case pulls Simon into a whole new way of running drugs. The foot soldiers? Vulnerable local kids like Brookie and Olivia, who will give Simon a bitter taste of this new landscape.It is a harsh winter at home as well as work. Simon’s GP sister Cat and her husband Kieron are struggling with medical dramas big and small. A trip to Bevham General on her rounds sets off alarm bells for Dr Cat, and a visit from her son Sam as he tries to work out if his midwifery course is right for him coincides with a threat to their beloved family dog. Simon is working hard, but he’s restless, wondering what next. There’s nothing new going on for him in Lafferton, but sometimes the familiar holds surprises, too . . .

About the AuthorSUSAN HILL has been a professional writer for over fifty years. Her books have won awards and prizes including the Whitbread, the John Llewellyn Rhys and a Somerset Maugham, and have been shortlisted for the Booker. Her novels include Strange Meeting, I’m the King of the Castle, In the Springtime of the Year and The Mist in the Mirror. She has also published autobiographical works and collections of short stories as well as the Simon Serrailler series of crime novels. The play of her ghost story The Woman in Black is one of the longest running in the history of London’s West End. In 2020 she was awarded a damehood (DBE) for services to literature. She has two adult daughters and lives in North Norfolk.ReviewsHill’s Serailler novels are as addictive as Rankin’s * Scotsman (Praise for the Serrailler series) *Modern crime writing with a dark fierce edge * Daily Mail (Praise for the Serrailler series) *Nothing’s quite as it seems, except for Hill’s brilliantly compelling prose * Daily Mirror (Praise for the Serrailler series) *All the ingredients for the perfect English crime novel are here * Daily Mail (Praise for the Serrailler series) *

There are some harrowing moments in this unsparing novel, which shows how easily vulnerable youngsters can be exploited

* Sunday Times *Book InformationISBN 9781529110531Author Susan HillFormat PaperbackPage Count 384Imprint VintagePublisher Vintage PublishingWeight(grams) 266gDimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 23mm