Simon Beckett is the No.1 international bestselling author of the David Hunter series: The Chemistry ofDeath, Written in Bone, Whispers of the Dead, The Calling of the Grave, The Restless Dead and The Scent of Death. His books have been translated into 29 languages, appeared in the Sunday Times top 10 bestseller lists and sold over 10 million copies worldwide. A former freelance journalist, he has written for The Times, Daily Telegraph, Independent on Sunday and Observer. The inspiration for the first David Hunter novel came after a visit to the world-renowned Body Farm in Tennessee introduced him to the work of forensic anthropologists.Joint-winner (with Arne Dahl) of Europe's largest crime fiction prize - the Ripper Award 2018/19 - he has also won the Raymond Chandler Society's Marlowe Award and been short-listed for the CWA Gold Dagger, CWA Dagger in the Library and Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year awards. He isalso the author of several stand-alone novels including Stone Bruises and Where There's Smoke. Simon Beckett lives in Sheffield.

Menacing, beautifully paced and with characters that wouldn't disgrace the incomparable Michael Connelly, this marks Beckett's transition to established star