Set in and around the dark, misty canals of Lichfield, Stephen Booth’s incredible new novel is awash with mystery.
When council officer Chris Buckley is approached by an odd old man demanding help in healing a decades-old family rift, he sends the stranger away.
But then the old man is murdered, and the police arrive on the Chris’s doorstep asking questions to which he has no answers.
As Chris begins to look into the circumstances of the murder, he uncovers a deadly secret in the silt and mud of the local canals that he’ll realise was better kept buried.
PRAISE FOR STEPHEN BOOTH
‘Makes high summer as terrifying as midwinter’
Val McDermid
‘A modern master’
Guardian
‘Crime writing of the finest quality’
Daily Mail
‘Ingenious plotting and richly atmospheric’
Reginald Hill
‘A first-rate mystery’
Sunday Telegraph
When council officer Chris Buckley is approached by an odd old man demanding help in healing a decades-old family rift, he sends the stranger away.
But then the old man is murdered, and the police arrive on the Chris’s doorstep asking questions to which he has no answers.
As Chris begins to look into the circumstances of the murder, he uncovers a deadly secret in the silt and mud of the local canals that he’ll realise was better kept buried.
PRAISE FOR STEPHEN BOOTH
‘Makes high summer as terrifying as midwinter’
Val McDermid
‘A modern master’
Guardian
‘Crime writing of the finest quality’
Daily Mail
‘Ingenious plotting and richly atmospheric’
Reginald Hill
‘A first-rate mystery’
Sunday Telegraph
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Reviews
Stephen Booth (of the Cooper & Fry police series) has written a crackerjack standalone novel in Drowned Lives
The plot is good, with plenty of twists and a villain I didn't spot even though there were plenty of clues
Packed with the misty atmosphere of the Saffordshire canals . . . I loved both the historical and modern storylines and the moody waterways' backdrop
The underlying mystery and the moments of high drama place the novel firmly in the crime genre, but the mix of ingredients adds up to far more. Drowned Lives is Stephen Booth at the top of his game
An interesting and absorbing personal read that I enjoyed as a fan of Booth's many other crime thrillers. I am sure book clubs will love the theme and have much to discuss and unravel
The historical details add fascinating depth to this big fat mystery