Bone Mother

When reporter Martha Strangeways is called into investigate the discovery of body parts on a remote railway track, she's drawn into a strange case, as her own past comes back to haunt her... The atmospheric, critically acclaimed Martha Strangeways Investigation series continues...

Martha Strangeways has settled into a quiet life in Strathbran, after the horrific events that traumatised the village a year earlier: her son, Dougie is at university, her friend Orla will give birth at any minute, and she's becoming ever closer to her ex, Jamie. 

But all this is turned upside down when her friend at Glasgow CID, DI Derek Summers, calls on her to help with a truly disturbing case: a human ear, with an unusual Celtic earring, has been found next to a railway line in the Highlands. 

And when the body of a young woman wearing matching jewellery turns up at a landmark church shortly after, the mystery only deepens. Why has she been laid out in such a ritualistic fashion? Does her trek along the little-known Cailleach Way have anything to do with her demise? And who is running the Facebook Group where she posted details of her journey to the shrine of the Bone Mother goddess? 

As Martha tries to unpick the threads, she soon finds herself entwined with a ghost from her own past, and in conflict with the owner of a company committed to a huge hydro-electric scheme that threatens to destroy the goddess's sacred land. 

With Halloween approaching, and someone determined to protect the goddess at all costs, can Martha and Summers catch the killer before they strike again - and this time much closer to home...?

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Praise for Crow Moon

'A bloody good read' Val McDermid

'Dark, gothic, and dripping with dread, this spellbinding debut is a triumph' C.J. Cooke

'An extraordinary debut: intriguing, unsettling, heavy on atmosphere and with a formidable leading lady ... Suzy Aspley is one to watch' Mari Hannah

'Dark, atmospheric and addictive' Sun

'Meets the definition of "eagerly awaited" more than most debuts' Herald Scotland

'Compelling, atmospheric and unsettling, Crow Moon takes readers on a twist turning thrill of a ride ... a stylish debut in a series we will all be following!' Louise Welsh

'Exceptionally atmospheric and excruciatingly tense ... a belter' Emma Christie

'A page-turning plot, beautifully realised setting, and characters that are still walking and talking in my head ... a compassionate and captivating new voice' Emma Styles

'The story and its characters feel bound to the landscape ... The constant presence of crows, watching, listening, gathering and even swooping down to attack, infuses the already sinister atmosphere with a dash of the Gothic' Herald Scotland

'Hugely accomplished and extremely creepy' Trevor Wood

'The most impressive debut I've read in years' Yrsa Sigurdardottir

**Shortlisted for the Val McDermid Debut Award**

**Shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize**