SCORCHED EARTH: A McAVOY NOVEL

Dark, compelling crime writing of the highest order (Geoffrey Wansell Daily Mail)

Detective McAvoy investigates a murder and a missing person case in this dark and compelling thriller, for fans of Stuart MacBride and Peter May.

The police think Crystal Heathers isn’t really missing.

The trainee detective assigned to the case isn’t so sure.

Detective Sergeant Aector McAvoy knows to his bones that somebody was being held at the derelict building where he just found a body pinned to the wall…and that all the signs point to it being a little girl.

But why would anyone not report a kidnapping?

And how far would someone go to get revenge?

The case will test McAvoy to breaking point – as the crimes of the present lead him to a final violent confrontation with an enemy from his own past.

More twists and turns than a corkscrew through the eyeball (Val McDermid)

To call Mark’s novels police procedurals is like calling the Mona Lisa a pretty painting. Beautifully crafted, filled with flashbacks, horror, angst, and chilling detail, this one is his most complex and best yet. (Kirkus starred review)

Effortlessly blends the brutal and the tender, the dark and the light. (Mick Herron, author of Slow Horses)

Highly entertaining (The Sunday Times)