She won her freedom. Now someone wants her silenced.

After serving nine years of a life sentence for the manslaughter of a former beauty queen, Shona Pickton returns to her home town of Felixstowe, exonerated after an appeal quashed her conviction. She has always protested her innocence – despite being tried and convicted by the media long before her trial.

Determined to clear her name, Shona insists that one man can corroborate her story: well-known police informer Karl Cuskie, her alibi for the night Cassandra Norton died.

But then Cuskie is found dead, throwing the reopened case wide open.

Terrified for her life, Shona turns to police specialist Dr Cora Lael, whose insight might reveal Norton and Cuskie’s murderer. But Cora is torn: should she help Shona behind the back of DS Rob Minshull and her police colleagues? And when a trail of corruption leads to the heart of South Suffolk CID, can Cora unmask the killer before they come for Shona?

A fast-paced, atmospheric, utterly gripping detective novel that will keep you guessing from the first page to the last. Perfect for fans of Elly Griffiths, LJ Ross and Kate Ellis.

Crime thriller fans and authors love the Cora Lael Mysteries!:

‘A superb crime debut from a massive talent. Cora is a character you won’t forget.’ Steve Cavanagh

‘An unusual premise and an engaging cast of characters. What more could you want from a crime debut? I flew through it.’ Mari Hannah

‘A corker of a debut with a brilliantly drawn main character.’ Simon Toyne

‘The perfect mix of suspense, mystery and interesting plot…Gripping from the first page to the last…This is a brilliant book!!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Reader Review

‘A page-turning, twisty crime thriller… one of those weekend binge reads you won’t be able to put down!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Reader Review

‘Dr Cora Lael is such an interesting character…a unique crime thriller which I would definitely recommend!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

‘‘This was excellent… There were many twists and I loved the plot development…I will pick up anything by this author in the future!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

‘Wow! What a fantastic story…I read it in a day, just couldn’t put it down.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

‘Truly could not put this down… so many twists and turns… Great characters who are also believable’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review