MEET DETECTIVE RUTHERFORD BARNES IN THIS BRILLIANT NEW CRIME SERIES FROM A SERVING POLICE OFFICER.

Discover an absolutely gripping crime thriller with a massive twist.

Just before midnight, Mandy is woken by a frantic knocking at the door. It’s her ex-husband. Drunk. Again. At that moment her new partner James gets home from work. Mandy hears raised voices. Then a dull, smacking sound. Followed by a sickening crunch . . .

DC Barnes is back on the job after an eighteen-month suspension. He’s offered this case no one else wants—and he’s in no position to refuse. A one-punch homicide.

The accused is Mandy’s partner James. An honest, upright citizen and a firefighter. The victim is Mandy’s ex, an aggressive alcoholic.

James’s acquittal is a sure thing. No jury will convict this good man defending his girlfriend.

So why does James suddenly disappear just before the jury reach their verdict?

The following day a body is found at the foot of Beachy Head. The injuries sustained reveal this wasn’t a suicide.

Barnes’s case has now become something deeper and darker than anyone could have imagined.

Perfect for fans of Joy Ellis, Helen H. Durrant, Bill Kitson, Michael Hambling, Peter James, Angela Marsons, Rachel McLean, J.D. Kirk, Rachel Abbott, Elly Griffiths, J.M. Dalgliesh or Patricia Gibney.