The Clearing

From the author of the Sanctus series comes a brilliant new serial killer thriller featuring forensic specialist Dr Laughton Rees and Detective Inspector Tannahill Khan.

The Clearing is a gripping novel with an ending that is genuinely one of the most jaw-dropping ones readers have encountered in a long time. As M.W. Craven states, "Absolutely superb." Sam Holland mentions that it "unnerved me to my core," while Helen Fields found that it "scared the bloody daylights out of me. The very definition of haunting." In the spirit of Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta, Publisher’s Weekly suggests, "Everything here indicates that Rees merits a long series run."

Women are going missing
Something deadly lurks in the forest around Cinderfield. Locals attribute the unusually high number of disappearances to transients or runaways; some even blame the Cinderman, a figure of local legend rumoured to haunt the woods looking for unsuspecting victims.

Vanishing without a trace
Forensic specialist Laughton Rees doesn’t believe in monsters. Already investigating the area’s history of missing women, news of the latest ‘runaway’ Maddie Friar brings her to Cinderfield to uncover the truth.

No one’s talking
But, from the gruff leader of an off-grid commune to the mysterious Earl who presides over the crumbling abbey in the heart of the forest, everyone in Cinderfield has something to hide.

But what lies in the shadows?
As Laughton searches for answers, with the help of DCI Tannahil Khan back in London, someone is watching – cataloguing her every move, prepared to do anything to keep their dark secrets from coming to light.