Betrayed by the past. Battles with the present. Condemned to an uncertain future.

After 15 years of self-imposed exile in Canada, successful businessman Nick Lawrence returns to the Derbyshire village where he grew up, to rescue a company on the verge of bankruptcy and its workforce from mass unemployment. 

But, it soon becomes clear why he left. He was convicted and later acquitted of the murder of his girlfriend Emily, the daughter of Oliver Fleming - owner of the failing company that is still determined to prove he was guilty all along. 

Nick decides not just to rescue the company but to clear his name, once and for all. But his return stirs up old memories and new hostilities as the past meets the present. He has to battle with the vindictive attitude of the villagers - all the people of a past life who can’t and won’t forgive him, including his own family - dredging up secrets long thought forgotten.

But Emily’s murder is only the first in a number of apparently unconnected crimes. Detective inspector Barbara Forster, heading the cold case investigation, must discover the pattern and reveal the chilling truth. Haunted by her unshakable belief that she knows who killed Emily - an obsession that threatens to end her career - she pursues a treacherous path that leads all the way to the dark and explosive climax of tragedy, terror, and despair. 

A gripping crime thriller with a shocking double twist that ultimately forces you to question everything in this coldly harrowing exposé of one man’s battle with guilt, betrayal, revenge, and redemption. This is a fraught tale of wrecked lives, family tragedy, and moral consequences in a small Peak District village. This is the latest in the popular, gritty psychological crime thriller series and the best yet!