The Shining Skull — Kate Ellis

'A beguiling author who interweaves past and present' The Times

Little Marcus Fallbrook was kidnapped in 1976 and, when he never returned home, by his grieving family assumed the worst. Now, thirty years later, teenager Leah Wakefield has disappeared and DI Wesley Peterson has reason to suspect that the same kidnapper is responsible.

As Wesley delves into the case, his friend, archaeologist Neil Watson, discovers a mystery of his own when he exhumes the dead from a local churchyard. A coffin is found containing one corpse too many and Neil believes it may be linked to a strange religious sect.

Wesley is still searching for the key to the abductions when, in a shocking twist, Marcus Fallbrook returns. DNA evidence confirms Marcus's identity but his recollection of his past kidnapping is hazy. Wesley hopes that, as Marcus begins to recover memories, it will lead them to a sinister criminal. But he is about to discover that the past can be a very dangerous place indeed.

Whether you've read the whole series, or are discovering Kate Ellis's DI Wesley Peterson novels for the first time, this is the perfect page-turner if you love reading Elly Griffiths and Ann Cleeves.

PRAISE FOR KATE ELLIS:

'I loved this novel . . . a powerful story of loss, malice and deception' Ann Cleeves

'Haunting' Independent

'Unputdownable' Bookseller

'The chilling plot will keep you spooked and thrilled to the end' Closer

'A gripping read' Best

'A fine storyteller, weaving the past and present in a way that makes you want to read on' Peterborough Evening Telegraph