THE SCARECROW KILLER

“Pace, taut plotting and great characterisation.” Sunday Times bestseller Ann Cleeves

AN ABSOLUTELY GRIPPING CRIME THRILLER FULL OF TWISTS.

A body swinging in the trees. A mysterious hit and run. Detective Cassie Rowan tackles the most disturbing case of her career.

Just before dawn on a clear October morning. Detective Cassie Rowan is driving home, exhausted, after a gruelling night on duty. Her headlights catch a sudden flash of movement by the side of the road, a streak of bright, metallic blue. Cassie pulls over to take a look. For a moment, she thinks she imagined it: a body swaying among the trees — hanging from a branch.

Cassie scrambles up the slope, already dialling emergency services. And stops short. The macabre sight that greets her is not what she expected at all . . .

A week later, there’s a fatal accident on the same stretch of road. Seventeen-year-old Damian Novak is mown down in a hit-and-run. No witnesses.

Cassie discovers that Damian isn’t the first local teenager to have died in strange circumstances . . . and he won’t be the last.

In each case, a sinister effigy of the victim appears a week before their death.

Cassie is in a race against time to track down a brutal killer before they kill again.

ONE OF THE ABSOLUTE MUST-READ PSYCHOLOGICAL CRIME THRILLERS OF 2023.

If you like Patricia Gibney, Helen H. Durrant, Robert Dugoni, Angela Marsons and Rachel Abbott, you’ll love The Scarecrow Killer.

THE DETECTIVE
Detective Constable Cassie Rowan is a young policewoman who has been the main carer for her younger brother, Neil, since their parents died. She has to balance this role with her demanding job. She is determined and outspoken, which sometimes brings her into conflict with her colleagues. Forensic scientist Dr Ian Chan is on her side, but her boss Detective Chief Inspector Pat Warman thinks she is uncooperative and needs to work as part of a team.

THE SETTING
The great northern English city of Liverpool is a place of contrasts. The city boasts a stunning Insta-worthy waterfront and architecture of World Heritage pedigree. A few miles inland, the Mersey river is dotted with picturesque villages of sandstone and thatch, nestling on the edges of misty salt marshes abrim with birdsong. Steeped in antiquity, these secret havens can seem aloof from modern cares. But scratch the city’s glossy façade — take a few steps beyond these enclaves of affluence and privilege — and you might stumble upon an edgier landscape of crumbling tower blocks looming over grimy courtyards, where danger lurks in every shadow. Here, decaying social housing huddles around grey rows of tightly shuttered shops — sad remnants of what were once thriving neighbourhood hubs. And where generations have been trapped in a cycle of deprivation and low aspirations, it falls to a courageous few to fight for a better, safer world for their communities.

READERS LOVE THE DETECTIVE CASSIE ROWAN
SERIES:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Wonderful writing, gripping storyline, the suspense is intoxicating.” P.A. B.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Lots of scary scenes . . . The ending is breathtakingly tense.” Daniel S.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Plenty of unexpected twists . . . Clear the decks in preparation for a thrilling read.” Saddeck S.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “One of the best, if not the best, novels I’ve read.” Tripslipper

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A brilliant read. Couldn’t put it down.” Denise T.

ALSO BY MARGARET MURPHY
DETECTIVE CASSIE ROWAN
Book 1: BEFORE HE KILLS AGAIN
Book 2: THE SCARECROW KILLER

CLARA PASCAL
Book 1: DARKNESS FALLS
Book 2: WEAVING SHADOWS

DETECTIVE JEFF RICKMAN
Book 1: SEE HER BURN
Book 2: SEE HER DIE
Book 3: DON'T SCREAM

STANDALONE NOVELS
DEAR MUM
HER HUSBAND'S KILLER
THE LOST BOY
DYING EMBERS
THE DARKEST HOURS