House of Lies
A dark secret. A haunted past. And a house full of lies.
When two teenage girls vanish without a trace from an educational retreat at Chidlow House in Lincolnshire, the students and teachers are put on high alert.
Called in to investigate, Detective Karen Hart questions everyone who came into contact with the two girls, Cressida and Natasha, in the days leading up to their disappearance.
Stories of Chidlow House being haunted abound, but Hart—still coming to terms with the suspicious circumstances surrounding the tragic loss of her own family—knows that while the house might be otherworldly, the crime is grimly real.
But nothing is quite as it seems at Chidlow House. When it becomes clear that someone at the estate must know more than they’re letting on, Hart faces a race against time to find the culprit and save the girls.
While there is no shortage of suspects, Hart comes up against one dead end after another. And when she too begins hearing eerie whispers in the walls, she is forced to wonder: was she too quick to dismiss Chidlow’s supernatural reputation?
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D. S. Butler
D. S. Butler doesn’t just write crime fiction—she deconstructs it with the precision of a scientist and the curiosity of someone who knows that the most dangerous secrets often hide in plain sight.
Before her novels ever found a home on bestseller lists, Butler (whose real name is Danica Britton) was elbow-deep in lab research. With a PhD in biochemistry and a career that once wove through hospital pathology labs and the University of Oxford, she was trained to ask questions, examine evidence, and look closer. Those same instincts now pulse through her thrillers—only the microscopes have been traded for murder scenes, and the puzzles involve motives instead of molecules.
Detective Karen Hart
In the misty corners of the English countryside, Detective Karen Hart stands as a quiet force against the darkness that lurks beneath the surface of seemingly peaceful towns. With a sharp mind and an unyielding commitment to justice, she unravels cases that are as complex as they are chilling.
The Detective Karen Hart series plunges readers into a world where the past never quite stays buried, and every new case threatens to reveal more than just a criminal. Each investigation offers more than a whodunit—it's an exploration of the human psyche, the secrets we keep, and the lengths we'll go to protect them. Whether it's a missing person, a gruesome murder, or a long-forgotten cold case, Karen Hart brings a unique blend of grit and empathy to the investigation, pushing her to uncover truths even when they seem too dark to face.
Detective Karen Hart consists of eleven books and series is set to expand with the upcoming release of two more books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
