Stone and Oliver

The gripping first novel in the exciting new Stone and Oliver series by award-winning author Mari Hannah. Alex should never have agreed to the spur-of-the-moment holiday with her sister. Seven days felt like a year without Daniel, her 10-year-old son. This was the first time they had been apart since he was born, and her husband had convinced her it was a good idea. It was a bad idea. Daniel has gone missing.

After their success in their last investigation, DCI David Stone has been promoted and moved to the Murder Investigation Team, taking DS Frankie Oliver with him. But there's a catch: the case they are given is the latest in a series of undetected murders. It's a baptism of fire for MIT's newest recruits. In the incident room, the murder wall makes grim reading: three women have been killed within the past year and nothing links the crimes: no day of the week, geographical area, similarity between victims and, most importantly, no forensic evidence.

When Chris Adams, a junior crime reporter for the Corchester Herald, uncovers the dark side of a prominent figure in the community, his life comes to an abrupt end. Senior Investigating Officer DCI David Oliver and DS Frances Stone are on the case.

The peace of Kielder Water is shattered when tourists open a barrel they found floating in the reservoir at dawn. Detectives Stone and Oliver are called to examine the skeletal remains inside. The tourists are eliminated from the investigation, but that same day a second body is discovered - this one with skin. Have the police let the killer leave the scene? While Stone investigates the remains, Oliver travels to Iceland to gather evidence and track down the tourists who have fled. Someone will do anything to protect the secrets of the past.

What brings people together often throws them apart, especially when it involves family. Ordinarily a close and loyal unit, the relationship between detectives David Stone and Frankie Oliver is stretched to breaking point when, without her knowledge, he embarks on an investigation into the tragic open-unsolved murder of her sister. The past and present collide with devastating consequences in this unputdownable thriller that will leave readers breathless.