‘The most assured crime debut I have ever read.’ #1 bestselling author Lisa Jewell

Discover the most unputdownable crime thriller of the year. From Joffe Books Prize winner Christie J. Newport.

READ THE FIRST PAGE AND YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN.

Meet Beth Fellows, a Preston detective haunted by her mum’s murder when she was only four. She’s a driven woman with a heart of gold.

A stranger came into our home, strangled my mother to death and left me sitting alone with her body. What happened to my mum is the driving force behind every major decision I’ve made since . . .

Now Beth faces the hardest case of her career: Rose Danes’s throat is cut, her body discarded on a council estate. Seared into the teenage girl’s skin is the image of a raven.

Six years ago, another girl was attacked. The victim, fourteen-year-old Celine Wilson, barely survived and was left brain-damaged in a coma.

THIS GIRL ALSO HAD A RAVEN BURNED ON HER BODY.

Why wait six years to strike again?

Then Beth receives a mobile phone from the killer — with a warning that he will hurt those closest to her if she tells anyone.

She’s talking to a dangerous predator but nobody knows. Not her team. Not her partner. No one.

If I'd known the personal cost of heading this investigation I would have walked away. No, I would have run as fast as I could and never looked back. Now, it's far too late . . .

Beth must break all the rules to stop any more girls from suffering. But will her everything be enough to stop a sick murderer?

THE END WILL LEAVE YOU UTTERLY BLOWN AWAY.

Fans of Angela Marsons, Helen Fields, Nadine Matheson, Helen H. Durrant, Rachel McLean, Lynda La Plante and Dorothy Koomson will devour this page-turning crime thriller.

READERS LOVE THE RAVEN’S MARK:

‘The writing is so assured, the characterizations so rich and believable, the twisty storyline so gripping and unexpected. Christie Newport is definitely a star on the rise!’ Diane Chamberlain, New York Times bestselling author of The Last House on the Street

‘Taut, pacy and gritty story that kept me guessing the whole way through.’ Philippa East, author of Little White Lies and I'll Never Tell

‘A propulsive thriller with a flawed protagonist, a diabolical villain and enough procedural detail to make the setting life-like.’ Douglas Skelton

‘Taut and compelling. Christie Newport has written a pacy police procedural with a compelling new heroine.’ Andrea Carter

‘I tore through this dark, shocking and brilliantly executed police procedural peppered with eye-popping twists galore.’ A.A. Chaudhuri

‘The plot is gritty, deliciously dark and fast-paced with a host of colourful characters who keep the pages turning.’ Kate Bendelow

‘Twisty, tense and authentic — a compelling police procedural with real heart.’ Marion Todd

‘An utterly compelling and propulsive thriller that grabs you from the first page and refuses to let go!’ Awais Khan

‘Vivid, gripping and authentic.’ Alison Belsham

‘The twists and turns never stop . . . kept me captivated to the last page.’ Patricia G.

ABOUT THE DETECTIVE
Beth is no stranger to violent death. When she was four, she witnessed her mum’s murder. The killer was never caught and that injustice is what propelled her to join the police. Now everyone Beth loves is placed in the firing line as she goes head-to-head with a ruthless killer.

ABOUT THE SETTING
Nestled on the banks of the River Ribble, Preston has faced its challenges but is once again a thriving Northern city, with a vibrant multicultural population. It is a beautiful place but there are dark alleys where the worst human impulses go unchecked.

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