The signs are unmistakable. The dog halts, his nose up – nostrils quivering. Every inch of him is poised. Moss has a scent.

When a hand is found in Gallows Wood, PC Lucy Halliday and her specialist search dog Moss must find the rest of the body. What they uncover is a killer’s dumping ground. Like every case since her husband’s mysterious disappearance, Lucy wonders if this one will bring her closer to the truth. Nico was a journalist with a reputation for getting buried in his work; Lucy is certain that this time he delved too deep.

With new DI Jack Ellis calling the shots, Lucy struggles to keep her professionalism intact. She can’t stay away from these murders – and a killer who may hold the answers she desperately wants. But with those at the very heart of the investigation withholding secrets of their own, can more brutal deaths be prevented?

The first book in the gripping new police procedural series featuring dog handler PC Lucy Halliday. Perfect for fans of Lynda La Plante, Val McDermid and Susie Steiner.

My Review

I read this in ten staves with the Pigeonhole online book club. It was almost unbearable waiting for the next instalment. The book was so exciting, the suspense nail-biting.

While this is the first in a new series ‘starring’ PC Lucy Halliday, we really have two other main protagonists. The first is her new boss DI Jack Ellis, brought in from the met, but maybe the real star is DPC Moss aka Doggy PC Moss, the ‘cadaver’ dog. Moss is trained to find dead bodies, so when a hand turns up in Gallows Wood, Moss and Lucy are first on the scene to find the rest of the body.

If only it was all so simple. Lucy was actually a DI, but was demoted following various misdemeanours mainly related to her missing husband, journalist, Nico. But it’s not all bad, as she inherited Moss, a lovable spaniel, who has become her best friend. Jack also has a secret life, but we don’t find this out till much later on. Even though he seems rather cold, we all really liked him. Moss doesn’t have any secrets that we know of (maybe some ‘illegitimate’ puppies somewhere).

As the body count rises, the plot becomes more and more complicated. Are the murders related to drugs? Is someone from the police force involved? And who can Lucy trust? Pretty sure Jack is OK, Moss definitely. Others less so. After a while, you start suspecting everyone.

This is one of the best police dramas I have read this year, if not THE best.

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the author, and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.

About the Author

Louisa Scarr studied Psychology at the University of Southampton and has lived in and around the city ever since. She works as a freelance copywriter and editor, and when she’s not writing, she can be found pounding the streets in running shoes or swimming in muddy lakes.