Hidden Norfolk · #8
A Dark Sin
Our darkest secrets are best left buried...
When a local journalist is found dead in an isolated spot on Roydon Common, lying beneath a hangman's noose on the anniversary of a teenager's suicide, DI Tom Janssen is asked to take on the investigation as a favour to local colleagues and must unpick the deceased man's life to discover how he came to be there.
The dead man was working on something, a story he was keeping close to his chest and even those closest to him, loved ones and colleagues, were kept in the dark. He had his own secrets, a side to his character that he rarely showed to others unless they were unlucky. But what did he know that was so damaging as to be worth killing for?
As the team delve into his life, past and present, the investigation pulls in successful business people, grieving family members, and a local celebrity with fascinating stories to tell. As the investigation develops it becomes clear that more than one person is harbouring a secret... but are they secrets that are worth a man's life? As past sins threaten to be exposed, will someone be forced into killing again?
Set within the mysterious beauty of coastal Norfolk, this fast-paced British detective novel is a dark murder mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end when the final shocking twist is revealed.
A Dark Sin is the eighth novel in the Hidden Norfolk series of thrillers from the million-copy selling British crime writer, JM Dalgliesh, the author of the Dark Yorkshire books. Perfect for fans of LJ Ross, JD Kirk, Angela Marsons, Alex Smith and Damien Boyd.
The series
Tucked away on England’s brooding east coast, where the land bleeds into mist and marsh, the Hidden Norfolk series unfolds with quiet intensity. It’s here—beneath the surface of a place known more for coastal charm than crime—that the past lingers like fog and truth is a slippery, shifting thing.
Read full series description
Following Detective Inspector Tom Janssen, each story peels back the veneer of village life, revealing the tension, trauma, and long-buried secrets that ripple just beneath. These aren’t crimes of convenience—they’re rooted deep in character, shaped by community and carried out in silence. In this world, justice isn’t clean-cut, and resolution rarely comes without personal cost.
What makes the series stand out in the realm of British detective fiction is its devotion to atmosphere over action. The sense of place is almost a character in itself—windswept beaches, fading skies, and forgotten lanes form the backdrop to crimes that echo long after the final page. The pacing is deliberate, the storytelling intimate, and the emotional weight unflinching.
Fans of slow-burn crime novels, rich in psychological complexity and steeped in setting, will find themselves drawn into the quiet power of these investigations. There’s nothing flashy here—just sharp writing, layered plots, and a protagonist whose quiet persistence mirrors the landscape he patrols. In Hidden Norfolk, every whisper of wind might be carrying a secret, and no one is ever quite as innocent as they seem.
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#7 · 2021Kill Them Cold 
#8 · 2021A Dark Sin 
#9 · 2021To Die For 
#10 · 2022Fool Me Twice 
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#12 · 2022Angel of Death 
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#14 · 2023Blood Runs Cold 
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#16 · 2025When Death Calls 
#17 · 2026Keep No Secrets 
#18 · 2027Hidden Norfolk Book 18 Be the first reviewer
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