In the heart of Orkney, a whale rescue mission at Skaill Bay uncovers a stone cist, sparking a gruesome mystery that spans centuries in this gripping thriller from acclaimed crime writer Lin Anderson.

An ancient grave. A modern evil.

In the dim morning light, Orkney's Skaill Bay is the backdrop for a calamity of nature's making. When forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod joins the rescue efforts as a volunteer, she uncovers more than she bargained for: a human skeleton entombed in a stone crypt.

The grave is believed to hail from the Viking Age, but Rhona's analysis of the content points to more recent and sinister evil. A shadow is thrown over the investigation when the skeleton is finally identified, as unsettling connections between the victim and the very people trying to solve the case come to light.

As forensic clues lead Rhona to a second, horrifying discovery, the question looms: how many more secrets does the sand conceal?

The Dead and the Dying is the latest pulse-pounding installment in the Rhona MacLeod series.