“Mum, I killed him.”

Teenager Rob Beresford stumbles home in the middle of the night, drenched in blood and claiming to have killed a man. His mother is speechless.

Hours later, his body is pulled from the murky canal waters.

Former police officer Naomi Blake is drawn into the mystery when her young friend Patrick refuses to believe the official story. Rob wouldn’t kill a stranger without reason. But what connection could there be between a troubled teenager and a middle-aged man he’d never met?

As Naomi delves deeper, she uncovers long-buried secrets, a desperate search for identity, and a web of deception spanning generations. The truth about that night might remain hidden in the canal mud forever — unless she can bring it to the surface.

But some secrets are meant to stay buried, and someone is determined to silence anyone who comes too close to the truth.

Perfect for fans of Peter Robinson, Ann Cleeves, Elly Griffiths, and Peter James.