The Hanging Wood

Twenty years after her brother Callum mysteriously vanished, Orla Payne is still haunted by his disappearance. The case was closed after her uncle's suicide - the police believed he killed himself in the Hanging Wood out of guilt over murdering the boy, even though no body was ever found. Daniel Kind recommends Orla contact DCI Hannah Scarlett, head of the Lake District's Cold Case Review Team, to see if she can discover the truth about what really happened all those years ago. In spite of the DCI's doubt there is anything to be done on such a long-dead case, when Orla is found dead, she reconsiders, partly out of sense of duty and partly out of guilt, and discovers that investigating the past can throw up some very dangerous truths indeed.

Martin Edwards has published 23 novels and has won the CWA Diamond Dagger, the highest honour in British crime writing. His other awards include the CWA Dagger in the Library, voted by UK librarians, and two Edgars from the Mystery Writers of America. His lifetime achievement awards include the Golden Derringer for his short mystery fiction and he has been President of the Detection Club since 2015.