Inverbeg is a quiet, secluded village in the Scottish Highlands, where rugged cliffs meet still lochs and time seems to stand still. But the stillness is almost oppressive, broken only by the swish of waves below and the cry of a startled bird.

Everyone knows your business in Inverbeg — and everyone swears Flora Maitland would never have gone near the cliffs on a stormy night. At seventy, she was as sure-footed as a mountain goat.

Yet Flora is found dead on the rocks below. The police call it an accident. Her neighbours call it nonsense.

Her niece Danni inherits the croft — along with a troubling letter:

The chickens have come home to roost. They always do. Be careful. Be safe. Your wicked aunt Flora.

Danni thinks she can outwit the locals and play two rival landowners against each other. But soon after, she is found with her throat cut.

DCI Kelso Strang is called in. Head of Scotland’s Serious Rural Crime Squad, Strang is used to solving a case in tight-knit communities. But Inverbeg proves especially troubling.

For Strang, the truth of Flora and Danni’s deaths lies in the fault lines of Inverbeg itself — and exposing them will come at a cost.

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 Old Sins.