Yellowhammer

A body on an embankment. A blast at a farmhouse. A burden on Colchester CID

'Rounded characters, a terrific sense of time and place and masterful plotting . . . a 24-carat holiday read' Guardian

Fox Farm is, thanks to two corpses, neither picturesque nor peaceful. The body in its kitchen belongs to eminent historian Christopher Cliff, who has taken his own life. The second, found on the property boundary, remains unidentified.

To catalyze his investigation, DI Nick Lowry enlists the services of DC Daniel Kenton and WPC Jane Gabriel. And the team soon find themselves interrogating enigmatic neighbors, antiques merchants, jilted lovers and wronged relatives.

Only when they fully open their eyes and minds will they begin to unpick a web of rural rituals, dodgy dealings and fragmented families - and uncover not just one murder, but two.

“With well-rounded characters, a terrific sense of time and place and masterful plotting, this solid police procedural is a 24-carat holiday read.”

Vivid and compelling, with great evocation of the 1980s period.

Strong characters, dark humour and a terrific sense of place. I was totally absorbed.

Taut, atmospheric.

Perfectly structured . . . a new Essex reimagined as a noir landscape.

- Guardian

James Henry is the pen name for James Gurbutt. He has written four prequels to R.D Wingfield's Frost series and three Essex-based novels featuring DI Nick Lowry. He works in publishing and lives in Essex.

A body on an embankment. A blast at a farmhouse. A burden on Colchester CID 'Rounded characters, a terrific sense of time and place and masterful plotting . . . a 24-carat holiday read' GuardianFox Farm is, thanks to two corpses, neither picturesque nor peaceful. The body in its kitchen belongs to eminent historian Christopher Cliff, who has taken his own life. The second, found on the property boundary, remains unidentified.To catalyze his investigation, DI Nick Lowry enlists the services of DC Daniel Kenton and WPC Jane Gabriel. And the team soon find themselves interrogating enigmatic neighbors, antiques merchants, jilted lovers and wronged relatives.Only when they fully open their eyes and minds will they begin to unpick a web of rural rituals, dodgy dealings and fragmented families - and uncover not just one murder, but two.

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