Browse books in this series
The House beyond the Trees

About the Book

A man murdered in mysterious and seemingly random circumstances.

An unidentified victim. An abandoned car.

And a killer who vanished into the night.

Called in as a favour to assist the baffled police, private detective John “Slim” Hardy is confronted with a case that at first appears to make no sense at all. The victim's identity is unknown, the motive elusive, and every lead is a dead end.

But as Slim slowly unravels the mystery, the trail leads him beyond the present day and deep into the past. What begins as a seemingly senseless murder draws him to the gates of a reclusive family's estate, and a long-hidden tragedy.

In the house beyond the trees lies a secret that has remained hidden for decades—and there are those who would do anything to keep it that way.

The John “Slim” Hardy mysteries have captivated thousands of readers around the world. Now Slim returns in what may be his most challenging case yet.

Pre-order Buy or listen
Links open a search for this book at the selected store. Availability may vary.
The Slim Hardy Mysteries

The series

Full series details →
Meet the author

Jack Benton

Chris Ward (writing as Jack Benton) hails from Cornwall in the UK. Since 2003 he has lived and worked in Japan where he is married and owns two cats.At age eleven, he won a competition for a short story. He wrote his first novel at the age of 18 and published his first professional short story in Weird Tales 352 in…

Explore the author