In Dark Water: A compulsive Scottish detective novel

DI Shona Oliver agreed to move to Dumfries with her ex-banker husband when their teenage daughter got in with a bad crowd in London. As a Glasgow native, she’s back on home turf.

Living on the shores of the Solway Firth allows Shona to continue as an RNLI volunteer, and a call out to recover a woman’s body indicates foul play. Police in Cumbria take the case but links back to Scotland keep Shona’s team involved. As they investigate, reports of people trafficking and a spate of thefts from local shops compete for attention with a large scale drug bust. But Shona’s work may all be in vain when those close to her threaten to tear the case apart – and ruin Shona in the process.

An unforgettable debut novel by a Scottish crime writer to watch, for fans of Val McDermid, Marion Todd and Lin Anderson.

‘A stunning and beautifully observed novel. Shona Oliver is a well drawn figure, engaging a lot of empathy from the reader in this absolutely fantastic debut.’ Caro Ramsay, author of Absolution

‘A thrilling new voice in Scottish crime fiction.’ Marion Todd, author of See Them Run

'A fast-paced debut detective novel set on the shores of the Solway Firth' The Herald

‘Being an avid reader, particularly in Scottish Crime fiction, this book, not to mention the author, is up there with the best and in Shona Oliver, we have a character in whom I hope there is considerable mileage.’ NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘What a ride! Lynne McEwan pulled me in and wouldn’t let me go!’ NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘In Dark Water is a very well written suspense novel. There are enough twists and turns to keep you interested until the very end... The descriptions were so vivid it made me feel as if I was right there in Scotland. The characters were well-crafted and the ending was a surprise.’ NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐