Some killers leave a trail. Others leave nothing at all.

When a retired detective is found murdered inside a locked Edinburgh church, DCI Ewan McCall is called in to investigate.
At first glance, the case seems simple. Three suspects. A dark past. A trail of secrets stretching back to Glasgow.

But nothing about this murder is simple.

As McCall and his team dig deeper, they uncover a pattern of killings spanning years — women silenced, evidence buried, and a predator who has learned how to adapt.

Every lead points to the same place. Every suspect looks guilty.
And yet… something doesn't fit.

Because the truth isn't where McCall is looking. It's where he isn't.
As the investigation tightens, McCall must confront a chilling possibility: the answer has been right in front of him from the beginning.

He just couldn't see it.

Published
May 27, 2026
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Additional book details

Author

John Carson

John started writing in the early 1990’s, starting with 3 horror novels. In 1997, he then decided to switch to writing crime novels. He started a series with a detective called DCI Justice. He attended a weekend writing course in Edinburgh, with Ian Rankin as the tutor, at the end of 1997. Early in 1998 when the first Justice novel was finished, Ian read the book and gave John a written report on it, encouraging him to write more. After 2 more Justice books, John created DI Frank Miller, and decided to self-publish those books in 2014. In 2019, John Created and published DCI Harry McNeil. After that success, John found the original notes for…