[Lakeland Murders 04] • Riddled on the Sands

In the fourth of the acclaimed Lakeland Murders series DI Andy Hall and the team face a case with a very local flavour, when a net fisherman vanishes while working far out on Morecambe Bay. Only his tractor is found - because these fisherman don’t use boats - and when examined DS Ian Mann makes a disturbing discovery which points, unavoidably, towards murder. But the locus is a forensic nightmare, because it’s washed clean with every tide, so can Andy Hall and the team really make any progress with the case? And will the appearance of Mann’s former military colleagues in the area help, or hinder, the investigation?

Meanwhile DCs Jane Francis and Ray Dixon have problems of their own. Jane Francis is trying to come to terms both with co-habitation and a pretty lacklustre case load, including a couple of garage fires and a threatening letter. Meanwhile Ray Dixon, after years of counting down the days to retirement, is now desperately trying to cling on to his job, even as his very last day with the Cumbria Constabulary approaches.

Witty, topical, atmospheric and intriguing, the latest case for Kendal CID's finest is sure to draw really positive reader and critical reviews, as the first three have done.

Critic Mat Coward said of the first installment in the Lakeland Murders series: ‘Separated At Death is a solidly plotted, well-peopled and a very enjoyable start to what looks like a most promising series.’

Death on High, book 2 in the series, has attracted reader reviews like this: ‘I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys crime thrillers such as Morse and Frost. Andy Hall is a great lead character and I can see this series being televised in future.’

And Death on Account, the third in the series, is going down well with crime readers too: ‘A real page turner, the third in the series of detective novels set in the Lake District. Well rounded characters, believable story lines and just great all-round reading entertainment.'