Hold Me Close
by Priscilla Masters

Two bodies emerge from the ashes of the Staffordshire moors — and Detective Joanna Piercy uncovers a mystery decades in the making in this chilling police procedural. 

A dark secret smoulders beneath the burning moors.

As fire rages across the Staffordshire moors, firefighters discover two bodies beneath the scorched earth. Their arms are wrapped around each other, their wrists bound with red cord.

The victims are dubbed ‘The Lovers’. But Detective Inspector Joanna Piercy quickly realises this is no crime of passion.

A mysterious stone bearing an ancient symbol under the bodies leads Joanna and Detective Sergeant Mike Korpanski to Renshaw Hall, an isolated manor house once home to a reclusive spiritual community. Behind its crumbling walls lie buried secrets and dangerous obsessions.

Someone has spent years hiding the truth. Can Joanna unravel the mystery before the moors claim another victim?

Perfect for fans of Elly Griffiths, Ann Cleeves and Val McDermid, this atmospheric British mystery blends haunting moorland suspense, buried secrets and a darkly compelling murder investigation.

Reviews

A tense, engrossing examination of why good and evil aren’t always easy to tell apart

Kirkus Reviews on Bloodline

Readers will be intrigued . . . The surprising outcome is worth turning the pages

Booklist on Bloodline

Cleverly constructed . . . A fascinating read

Mystery People on Bloodline

A riveting police procedural focusing on guilt, frustration, and the many varieties of love

Kirkus Reviews on Almost a Whisper

An excellent choice for those who enjoy intricately plotted British mysteries

Booklist on Almost a Whisper

Fans of traditional police procedurals will find a lot to like

Publishers Weekly on Almost a Whisper

An absorbing, character-driven police procedural with some provocative twists

Kirkus Reviews on Blood on the Rocks

Well-plotted . . . Fans of character-driven police procedurals will be rewarded

Publishers Weekly on Blood on the Rocks

Tantalizing . . . Piercy’s search for the truth takes her from a tidy but sterile suburban home into a seedier, sadder, and more threatening world

Publishers Weekly on Crooked Street

A tightly plotted mystery . . . sharply drawn characters . . . intriguing story

Booklist on Crooked Street

Briskly paced . . . Readers will enjoy the neatly turned surprise ending

Publishers Weekly on Guilty Waters

Priscilla Masters

Priscilla Masters is the author of the popular DI Joanna Piercy series, as well as the successful Martha Gunn novels, a series of forensic psychiatrist mysteries featuring Dr Claire Roget, and the Florence Shaw Mysteries. She lives near the Shropshire/Staffordshire border. A retired respiratory nurse, Priscilla has two grown-up sons and two grandsons.

View author page

Editions

Hold Me Close by Priscilla Masters is available in the following formats

97814483211931st December 2026 X mm272£12.99
Hardback97814483211861st December 2026144 X 222mm272,272£21.99
Hardback97814483211861st December 2026144 X 222mm272,272$39.99
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