The Flow Country in Caithness is a place of bleak beauty — endless peat bogs, sudden mists, and a silence broken only by the cry of the ravens. But beneath the surface, the ground is treacherous. And so are the people.

When a man’s body is discovered in an abandoned croft house on the edge of the Caithness moors, half-devoured by birds, it looks like a tragic death from natural causes.

But something doesn’t add up. The victim didn’t die there — he was moved. And the locals are quick to deflect questions.

Edinburgh-based detective Kelso Strang is sent north to investigate. What he finds is a tight-lipped community and a missing man who no one seems to have missed.

As Strang digs deeper, he uncovers a tangled web of long-buried secrets — and a second body. In a land where the past is never truly dead, Strang must tread carefully.

Because someone is watching. And they’re ready to kill again.

A chilling, atmospheric Scottish mystery, perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, Peter May, Caro Ramsay, Daniel Sellers and Val McDermid.

MEET THE DETECTIVE

DI Kelso Strang, once an army sniper and now a senior officer with the Edinburgh police force, is still reeling from the sudden death of his wife. It left him hollow, short-tempered, and increasingly difficult to reach. His job is the only thing that keeps him going. He now lives alone in a harbour cottage, where silence suits him better than small talk and black coffee keeps him steady. He reads old poetry, owns far too many maps and has a scar down one side of his face that people don’t ask about twice.

Please note this book was previously published as Carrion Comfort.