by Ashley Dyer (Author), Ashley Dyer (Author)
'A taut and compelling thriller, as sharp as the thorns that feature in the plot' Ann Cleeves
'One of the boldest, most inventive serial-killer thrillers since The Silence of the Lambs' AJ Finn
Deceit, betrayal and tension abound in this chilling police procedural from dazzling new voice Ashley Dyer.
Sergeant Ruth Lake and DCI Greg Carver are on the hunt for a serial killer who carefully poses his victims and covers every inch of their bodies in intricate, cryptic tattoos. Dubbed the 'Thorn Killer', by the media, the killer uses a primitive and excruciatingly painful thorn method to etch his victims. After many months, a breakthrough feels imminent. Then the killer gets personal: the latest victim - a student found only a week earlier - is staged to look like Carver's wife.
Pushed over the edge, Carver spirals into a self-destructive cycle of booze and risky sex. Now he lies near death, and the unreadable Lake stands over him with a gun. Did she shoot her boss? If not, why is she removing evidence from his apartment, faking the scene?
Ruth, too, is convinced that Carver is holding back; that he remembers more than he admits. Why is he lying? Does he know what she did? How can she hope to unravel the half-truths, hidden meanings, secrets and lies at the centre of this investigation when she herself has lied and lied?
Intrigued, the Thorn Killer watches their every move - all the while plotting the next. Can Carver and Lake pull together to catch him before he strikes again? Or will they be held captive by their own web of lies?
Utterly gripping, with a twisting plot that keeps you guessing until the end, SPLINTER IN THE BLOOD is an unforgettable read that will get under your skin.
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 448
Publisher: Corsair
Published: 01 Mar 2018
ISBN 10: 1472151011
ISBN 13: 9781472151018
Ashley Dyer is the pseudonym for novelist Margaret Murphy working in consultation with policing and forensics expert, Helen Pepper.
Margaret Murphy is a Writing Fellow and Reading Round Lector for the Royal Literary Fund, a past Chair of the Crime Writers Association (CWA), and founder of Murder Squad. A CWA Short Story Dagger winner, she has been shortlisted for the First Blood critics' award for crime fiction as well as the CWA Dagger in the Library. She has written novels under her own name, and as A.D. Garrett.
Helen Pepper is a Senior Lecturer in Policing. She has been an analyst, Forensic Scientist, Scene of Crime Officer, CSI, and Crime Scene Manager, and has co-authored, as well as contributed to, professional policing texts. Her expertise is in great demand with crime writers: she is a judge for the CWA's Non-Fiction Dagger award, and is Forensic Consultant on both the Vera and Shetland television series.
Twitter: @AshleyDyer2017
Website: Ashley-Dyer.com