The Drowning Place

Gorgeously vivid, moody and unsettling – I couldn’t put this down. * Red *
Hilary excels at the delicate but merciless filleting of PTSD, guilt and grief: a flying start to what promises to be an excellent new series * Guardian *
Already established as one of the genre’s most compellingly soulful writers, Hilary has surpassed herself here. * Telegraph *
Told with depth, warmth & humanity, this is Ann Cleeves territory, and Hilary displays every bit as much style and insight * Daily Mail *
A classy and gripping read * The Sun *
A crime fiction masterclass. Sarah Hilary’s latest touches on survivor’s guilt, small towns, murders and driven detectives in prose that rivals the best in the business – STEVE CAVANAGH
Wonderful, sad and wise. It’s a relentless crime drama, a devastating meditation on loss, and a dual character study full of humour and charm. Hilary doesn’t just investigate an unspeakable crime; she investigates the human heart. I’ll be counting the days until I can get back to Edenscar. – ABIGAIL DEAN
Will chill you to the bone… Fantastic * Paula Hawkins *
Darkly atmospheric and overflowing with humanity, The Drowning Place is both breathtakingly original and an instant crime classic. An career best from the inimitable Sarah Hilary. – ERIN KELLY
Works on multiple levels: a compelling murder mystery, an examination of the impact of survivor’s guilt, and an empathetic dissection of life in small town Britain. Written with Hilary’s trademark flair for prose, this first episode in a new police procedural series sings with originality and authenticity – VASEEM KHAN
I’ve found my favourite new series. The Drowning Place is the first in Sarah Hilary’s gothic-tinged, Peak District-set police series, introducing us to an engaging and emotionally-complex cast of characters, with her trademark astute and compelling writing. A moving, gripping and unique exploration of survivor’s guilt, and the web of relationships and secrets in a small-town community. Happy Valley, but haunted. I genuinely can’t wait for the next book in the series – ANNA MAZZOLA
Brilliant! A truly impressive piece of work that breaks new ground for the genre - dark, original and quite alarmingly readable. I’m delighted we’ll be seeing more of Sammi, Joe and Laurie - and I hope the gothic world of the Peak District – ANDREW TAYLOR
Crime novels often feature the detectives’ personal lives alongside their professional work but in this book the two truly intertwine with poignant, sometimes shocking results. DS Joe Ashe is a beautifully drawn character to be sympathised with, but never pitied, while the rural Derbyshire landscape, expertly evoked forms a stunning backdrop for a very satisfying mystery. The Drowning Place marks the start of a wonderfully constructed police procedural series, where the crime at the heart of the novel is only part of the very moving story – SINÉAD CROWLEY
Exceptional. This is impeccable crime fiction from one of the very best writers of her generation: gripping, moving, taut and utterly compelling. DS Joe Ashe and DI Laurie Bower won my heart and I’m counting the days until the next in this superb new series. – JANE CASEY
Beautifully written with a premise that grips you from the start, I fell in love with this new novel from Sarah Hilary. – SARAH WARD
A cracking read…shot through with pathos and pitch-dark humour, it’s an utterly immersive mystery that teases via masterful misdirection and haunts you with the humanity of its characters. – D. V. BISHOP
Smart, beautifully balanced, and with a plot that blasts through defences, this start to a new detective series is an absolutely cracker. * LoveReading.co.uk *
Brilliant… a terrific start to a series * Mick Herron *
Shot through with pathos and pitch-dark humour, it’s an utterly immersive mystery that teases via masterful misdirection and haunts you with the humanity of its characters. Best of all, the first in a series! * DV Bishop *
Sarah Hilary has created something truly special and unique. A soulful, haunting mystery that brings something entirely new to the genre, all told with Hilary’s stand-out prose to deliver a stellar first entry in a new series that I immediately want to read more of. Bring on book two! * C.M. Ewan *

Sarah Hilary is the critically-acclaimed author of nine novels. Her debut, Someone Else’s Skin, won the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year 2015 and was also a World Book Night selection, a Richard & Judy Book Club pick and a finalist for both the Silver Falchion and Macavity Awards in the US. No Other Darkness, the second in her DI Marnie Rome series, was shortlisted for a Barry Award. Sarah is Programme Director for St Hilda’s Crime Fiction Weekend, and co-founder of Ledburied, a crime fiction festival in her home town. Her short stories have won the Fish Criminally Short Histories Prize, the Cheshire Prize for Literature, and the SENSE Prize.

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