Simon Beckett Books

Finding Refuge In A Quiet Rural Backwater, Dr David Hunter Hoped He Might At Last Have Put The Past Behind Him. But Then They Found What Was Left Of Sally Palmer& It Isn T Just That She Was A Friend That Disturbs Him. Once He D Been A High-Profile Forensic Anthropologist And All Too Familiar With The Many Faces Of Death, Before Tragedy Made Him Abandon This Previous Life. Now The Police Want His Help. But To Become Involved Will Stir Up Memories He S Long Tried To Forget. Then A Second Woman Disappears, Plunging The Close-Knit Community Into A Maelstrom Of Fear And Paranoia. And No One, Not Even Hunter, Is Exempt From Suspicion.Gruesome And Gripping, This Startling New British Crime Thriller Has An Unnerving And Original Twist.

‘Masterful storytelling and macabre forensic details make his novels utterly chilling reads’ TESS GERRITSEN Once a busy hospital, St Jude’s now stands derelict, awaiting demolition. When a partially mummified corpse is found in the building’s cavernous loft, forensics expert Dr David Hunter is called in to take a look. He can’t say how long the body’s been there, but he is certain it’s that of a young woman. And that she was pregnant. Then part of the attic floor collapses, revealing another of the hospital’s secrets: a bricked-up chamber with beds inside. And some of them are still occupied. For Hunter, what began as a straightforward case is about to become a twisted nightmare. And it soon becomes clear that St Jude’s hasn’t claimed its last victim . . . Chilling, visceral and masterfully paced, Simon Beckett’s new crime thriller will leave you gasping.

A deep dive into darkness. Simon Beckett's masterful storytelling and macabre forensic details make his novels utterly chilling reads TESS GERRITSEN

Detective and mystery stories. Forensic anthropologist Dr David Hunter should be at home in London with the woman he loves. Instead, as a favour to a beleaguered colleague, he's on the remote Hebridean island of Runa to inspect a grisly discovery.

In plain black letters were the words Anthropological Research Facility,' but it was better known but another, less formal name. Most people just called it The Body Farm. The victimhas been bound and torturer, the body decomposed beyond recognition... A second bodyis found. A nightmare is about to begin... A serial killeris at work and the death toll is rising... A brutal abduction- a helpless victim is taken... And for forensics expert David Hunter, it's become a terrifying race against time.

Forensic expert Dr. David Hunter finds himself on a remote Scottish island, drawn into a chilling murder investigation after examining a set of human remains. Instead of being in London with the woman he loves, he is called to the Outer Hebrides to assist a beleaguered local cop. What he discovers is shocking: a woman's charred remains, burned beyond recognition in an unoccupied cottage. While local authorities lean towards an accidental death, Hunter’s analysis of the victim's skull reveals a sinister truth—she was murdered by someone from the island. As he delves deeper, the situation escalates when two more people die in fires. Hunter's expertise lies in coaxing the dead to share their stories, and as he begins to hear them, he uncovers a web of secrets within the tight-knit community of Runa. The investigation reveals the hidden resentments of a wealthy couple, the bitterness of an ex-cop, and the struggles of a lonely single mother. As Hunter peels back the layers of deception, the narrative unfolds into a tale of rage and perversion, culminating in a series of violent acts and shocking revelations.

"Eight years ago they found the body buried on the moor. They were certain that it was one of Jerome Monk's teengage victims. Which left two more to find. But the search ended badly, with Monk safely behind bars, the momentum faltered. For forensics expert David Hunter and the rest of the recovery team, life moved on. And the dead were left undisturbed. But now a nightmare scenario unfurls. Monk has escaped and seems to be targeting anyone involved in that original ill-fated operation. As the maniac's violent trail edges ever closer, Hunter realises that nothing now--or then--is quite as it seems. And that the past is anything but dead and buried ..."--Pg 4 of cover.

One day, your son disappears from the playground. Ten years later, will you finally get the truth? The disappearance of firearms police officer Jonah Colley's young son almost destroyed him. A phone call from an old friend leads Jonah to the warehouse Slaughter Quay, and the discovery of four bodies, with a link to his son's case. Attacked and left for dead in the dark, Jonah is the only survivor. Under suspicion himself for what happened at Slaughter Quay, Jonah uncovers a network of secrets and lies about the people closest to him - forcing him to question what really happened to his son all those years ago... 'A terrific thriller from one of our finest crime writers at the top of his game.' Peter James 'A roaring, full-throated thriller.' Daily Mail 'First in a new series, this is a tense and twisty tale.' The Sun

'Somebody!' I half-sob and then, more quietly, 'Please.' The words seem absorbed by the afternoon heat, lost amongst the trees. In their aftermath, the silence descends again. I know then that I'm not going anywhere... Sean is on the run. We don't know why and we don't know from whom, but we do know he's abandoned his battered, blood-stained car in the middle of an isolated part of rural France at the height of a sweltering summer. Desperate to avoid the police, he takes to the parched fields and country lanes but his leg is caught in a vicious animal trap. Near unconscious from pain and loss of blood, he is freed and taken in by two women - daughters of the owner of a rundown local farm with its ramshackle barn, blighted vineyard and the brooding lake. And it's then that Sean's problems really start... This nail-shredder of a thriller - like the fiction of Nicci French or Gillian Flynn - holds you from the beginning, tightening its grip as the story unfurls and shocks you with its final twist.

We don't know why and we don't know from whom, but we do know he's abandoned his battered, blood-stained car in the middle of an isolated part of rural France at the height of a sweltering summer.