Two women. Twenty years apart. One deadly link.

Twenty years ago, Effie vanished without a trace. She was last seen arguing with her cousin Shannon at the pub before storming home — except she never made it. 

Suspicion fell on Shannon, but with no body and no evidence, she walked free and the case went cold. 

Decades later, a young woman is found strangled in an allotment at the bottom of Shannon’s garden. And once again, Shannon finds herself at the centre of an intense police investigation. 

Detective Anna James finds Shannon blunt to the point of rude, but without solid evidence, there’s nothing to hold her on. 

With the investigation at a standstill, Anna turns to an unlikely source: her former lover, ex-crime boss Joshua ‘Parole’ Cribbins. He still has connections with the seedy underbelly of the town — and he’s all too willing to help. But getting close to Parole again could cost Anna everything. 

Then, a breakthrough leads Anna to a place known as the Cow Shed. What she uncovers there will change everything — and expose the horrifying truth that’s been buried for decades. 

This utterly gripping crime thriller is perfect for fans of Martina Cole, Angela Marsons, Helen H. Durrant and Charlie Gallagher.