Five young women, murdered in cold blood. One cunning predator. A deadly game with the highest stakes.

Meet troubled criminologist Dr Will Traynor. He doesn’t play by the book, but his dark past helps him capture killers by getting inside their minds.

Amy Peters’ badly decomposed remains are discovered by a shaken dogwalker. Her body lay undisturbed in an isolated wooded area outside Birmingham. She is quickly identified as one of five young women who have recently vanished without a trace.

All young students. All with dark hair and bright futures stolen from them.

Criminologist Dr Will Traynor has a serial killer to catch. An intelligent and charismatic individual who thrives in the shadows and keeps trophies to commemorate his kills.

Traynor must delve deeper than ever before to get into the mind of a murderer who sees the world through a dark, twisted lens.

What he doesn’t understand is why the killer would transport their victims on an eighty-mile journey from Manchester to Birmingham.

With no witnesses, no clues, and a trail gone cold, Traynor is forced to play this sadistic individual at their own deadly game to solve the most harrowing case of his career. But every move counts. One wrong step means another life lost — and this time it could be his own.

This unputdownable crime mystery full of twists is perfect for fans of Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs, Karin Slaughter, Angela Marsons and Helen H. Durrant.

Please note this book was previously published as A Dark, Divided Self.