The Drowning Ground

James Marrison's chilling debut will plunge readers into the secrets, fears and lies of a small community. Perfect for fans of hit TV series Broadchurch and The Missing.

'DARK, GRIPPING AND UNEXPECTED' LINWOOD BARCLAY

A man is found dead with a pitchfork through his neck.

When DCI Guillermo Downes is called to the scene he realises he knows the victim.

Because a decade earlier, Downes made a promise to the families of two missing girls that he would find their daughters, and this man had been a suspect in their disappearance.

And as the ripples from his death spread through the local community, there is fresh hope that the detective might finally make good on his promise.

But it soon becomes clear that there's a darkness at the heart of the investigation more dreadful than either could ever have imagined . . .

Praise for The Drowning Ground:

'An Argentinian DCI in the heart of middle England brings a thoughtful outsider's viewpoint to a murder that has troubling links to unsolved crimes from the past. Guillermo Downes's intelligent, intuitive police work keeps the pages turning' Sunday Times

'An intriguing debut ... the plot [has] a strength and texture that help set it apart . . . Taut and told with panache, it ushers in a suitably spiky police hero' Daily Mail

'Marrison's tense début expertly evokes a sense of place . . . the highly unusual denouement will catch readers by surprise' Publishers Weekly

'A gripping thriller . . . a readable, complex tale, astutely paced . . . If the mark of a good whodunnit is that you can't actually guess whodunnit, then The Drowning Ground does its job well. Despite following the plot closely, I was still taken aback' The Herald

'Move over Morse' Oxford Times