Two women hunting the same killer. One seeks justice. One seeks fame. Both have something to hide.
In a remote Scottish town where everyone knows everyone, the disappearance of local girl Lily Howard should be impossible to hide. But as Detective Ruth Lindsey discovers, some secrets run deeper than blood.
When internet sensation Mia Chaplin arrives to investigate, her viral YouTube videos about the case spark a media frenzy. The town divides: some worship Mia as a crusader for justice, others see her as a dangerous provocateur.
For Ruth, she’s a threat – not just to the investigation, but to the fragile peace of a community already fracturing under pressure.
As Mia’s revelations start destroying lives, Ruth realises she’s dealing with something far more sinister than a fame-hungry influencer. Because Mia knows things about Lily she shouldn’t.
And Ruth is beginning to suspect that the real predator isn’t hiding in the shadowy hills of Galloway, but broadcasting to millions from plain sight…
Charlotte Langley works as a journalist and a personal finance reporter at the Telegraph and is a fresh, breakout voice in gripping psychological police dramas.
My thoughts: This was a really good crime read, dealing with the true crime, social media investigator trend and the harm an inexperienced, non-professional detective can cause.
When Lily Howard goes missing, the police and mountain rescue are soon looking for her, but as the time goes by and she doesn’t turn up, the social media investigators start to descend, like locusts.
Mia Chaplin is one of them, but her previous case has done more harm than good, and it looks like this might be the same. As she pokes into Lily’s life, cosying up to her family, publishing unsubstantiated rumours and setting the online and irl ghouls on innocent people.
DI Ruth Lindsey is a professional, she and her team are ruling out suspects the correct way. Despite repeated warnings Mia won’t listen and continues to harass local residents and connect dots that just aren’t there.
As it becomes clear that Lily is no longer alive, Ruth and Mia are repeatedly at odds. And their confrontations are distracting Ruth from finding the perpetrator.
A really interesting, clever book with some shocking twists as a community is torn apart by accusations and mob rule.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
