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Dead Ground

Dead Ground
Dead Ground

M. W. Craven

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Synopsis


Winner of the prestigious CWA IAN FLEMING STEEL DAGGER AWARD 2022

Longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year 2022

'Heart-pounding, hilarious, sharp and shocking, Dead Ground is further proof that M.W. Craven never disappoints. Miss this series at your peril.' Chris Whitaker

'Dark and entertaining, this is top rank crime fiction.' Vaseem Khan, Author of the Malabar House series and the Baby Ganesh Agency series

'M. W. Craven is one of the best crime writers working today. Dead Ground is a cracking puzzle, beautifully written, with characters you'll be behind every step of the way. It's his best yet.' Stuart Turton

'Fantastic' Martina Cole

'Dark, sharp and compelling' Peter James

'You can taste the authenticity' Daily Mail

Detective Sergeant Washington Poe is in court, fighting eviction from his beloved and isolated croft, when he is summoned to a backstreet brothel in Carlisle where a man has been beaten to death with a baseball bat. Poe is confused - he hunts serial killers and this appears to be a straightforward murder-by-pimp - but his attendance was requested personally, by the kind of people who prefer to remain in the shadows.

As Poe and the socially awkward programmer Tilly Bradshaw delve deeper into the case, they are faced with seemingly unanswerable questions: despite being heavily vetted for a high-profile job, why does nothing in the victim's background check out? Why was a small ornament left at the murder scene - and why did someone on the investigation team steal it? And what is the connection to a flawlessly executed bank heist three years earlier, a heist where nothing was taken . . .


Praise for Dead Ground:

'Unmissable' Sunday Express

'I've been following M.W. Craven's Poe/Tilly series from the very beginning, and it just gets better and better. Dead Ground is a fast-paced crime novel with as many twists and turns as a country lane. I can't wait for the next one.' Peter Robinson

'Dead Ground is both entertaining and engaging with great characters and storyline. I loved this first dip into the world of Tilly and Poe!' BA Paris

Praise for M W Craven:

'A brutal and thrilling page turner' Natasha Harding, The Sun

'A thrilling curtain raiser for what looks set to be a great new series' Mick Herron

'One of the most engaging teams in crime fiction' Daily Mail

'A powerful thriller from an explosive new talent. Tightly plotted, and not for the faint hearted!'
David Mark

'A gripping start to a much anticipated new series' Vaseem Khan

'Satisfyingly twisty and clever and the flashes of humour work well to offer the reader respite from the thrill of the read.' Michael J. Malone

'Nothing you've ever read will prepare you for the utterly unique Washington Poe' Keith Nixon

'Beware if you pick up a book by M.W. Craven. Your life will no longer belong to you. He will hold you spellbound.' Linda's Book Bag

'Craven's understanding of the criminal world is obvious in this cracking read' Woman's Weekly

'Breath-taking' Random Things Through My Letterbox

'5 Stars... another fantastic literary experience and a welcome addition to the already brilliant Poe and Tilly series' Female First

'An explosive plot, slippery twists and my fave new crime-busting duo...Fantastic!' Peterborough Telegraph

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Summary

Chapter 1: The Discovery

* A group of hikers stumbles across a mangled body in the remote Dead Ground wilderness.
* The hikers call for help, and a team of rescuers and police officers arrive on the scene.
* The victim is identified as a young woman named Rebecca.

Example:
> The hikers followed the winding trail, their footsteps echoing through the dense undergrowth. Suddenly, one of them gasped and pointed ahead. There, amidst the fallen logs and overgrown vegetation, lay a lifeless body. Its clothes were torn, and its face was contorted in agony. The hikers cautiously approached, their hearts pounding in their chests.

Chapter 2: The Investigation

* Detective Jake Cooper leads the investigation into Rebecca's murder.
* He interviews the hikers, gathers evidence, and searches for witnesses.
* Cooper suspects that Rebecca was killed by a wild animal, but he remains open to other possibilities.

Example:
> Detective Cooper examined the body meticulously. He noted the deep gashes on Rebecca's limbs and the puncture wounds around her neck. As he looked up, he noticed faint tracks in the soft earth nearby. They resembled the footprints of a large predator.

Chapter 3: The Suspects

* Cooper identifies several potential suspects, including a local hunter who had been seen in the area.
* He also investigates Rebecca's past relationships and discovers that she had a history of domestic abuse.
* Cooper interviews each suspect, trying to uncover their motives and alibis.

Example:
> Cooper visited the home of the hunter, a burly man with a rugged face. He questioned the hunter about his whereabouts on the day of the murder, but the man claimed to have been miles away fishing. Cooper remained suspicious, however, noting the scratches on the hunter's arm and the nervous twitch in his eye.

Chapter 4: The Revelations

* Cooper uncovers a hidden camera in the woods that contains footage of Rebecca being stalked.
* The footage reveals that Rebecca's boyfriend was responsible for her death.
* Cooper confronts the boyfriend, who confesses to murdering Rebecca in a fit of jealousy.

Example:
> As Cooper watched the footage, he felt a cold shiver run down his spine. The video showed Rebecca walking along the trail, unaware of the sinister figure lurking behind her. Suddenly, the figure lunged, and Rebecca screamed in terror. Cooper recognized the boyfriend's distinctive jacket and boots in the grainy images.

Chapter 5: The Resolution

* Cooper arrests Rebecca's boyfriend and charges him with murder.
* The case is closed, but the echoes of the tragedy linger in the Dead Ground.
* Cooper reflects on the darkness that can lurk in the shadows of the wilderness.

Example:
> Standing at the edge of the forest, Cooper could still hear Rebecca's screams in his mind. The Dead Ground had claimed another victim, but the truth had been brought to light. As he turned to walk away, he couldn't shake the feeling that the darkness would never truly be gone.