Salt Lane

'William Shaw is one of the great rising talents of UK crime fiction. This is his best book to date' Peter James

'Taut, terrifying and timely' Val McDermid

'William Shaw is a superb storyteller' Peter May

SHE ALWAYS WENT TOO FAR

DS Alexandra Cupidi has done it again. She should have learnt to keep her big mouth shut, after the scandal that sent her packing - resentful teenager in tow - from the London Met to the lonely Kent coastline. Murder is different here, among the fens and stark beaches.

SHE WAS THE ONE WHO FOUND THE KILLERS

The man drowned in the slurry pit had been herded there like an animal. He was North African, like many of the fruit pickers that work the fields. The more Cupidi discovers, the more she wants to ask - but these people are suspicious of questions.

AND NOW IT WAS KILLING HER

It will take an understanding of this strange place - its old ways and new crimes - to uncover the dark conspiracy behind the murder. Cupidi is not afraid to travel that road. But she should be. She should, by now, have learnt.

Salt Lane is the first in the new DS Alexandra Cupidi series. With his trademark characterisation and flair for social commentary, William Shaw has crafted a crime novel for our time that grips you, mind and heart.

“William Shaw is one of the great rising talents of UK crime fiction . This is his best book to date, instantly engaging, beautifully written with really well observed and rounded characters. - Peter James Salt Lane is taut, terrifying and timely ; the emotional tension never slackens - Val McDermidWhat a pleasure it is when one discovers a writer who combines ironclad storytelling techniques with the linguistic finesse of more literary novelists. William Shaw is surely such a writer, a man whose command of narrative grips the reader by the throat from page one, and never lets go - Barry Forshaw, IndependentShaw's talent for sensuous storytelling comes to the fore . . . Goes from strength to strength, while making it all seem effortless. - Daily MailThe question of why a killer kills is always central. William Shaw delivers a perfect motive - Spectator, on The BirdwatcherWilliam Shaw makes his sentences sing - New York Daily NewsSuperb . . . an emotional intensity found only in the very best crime fiction - Sunday Times, on A Book of ScarsIntriguing and atmospheric, Salt Lane covers tough topics with sensitivity, a dash of humour and above all, beautiful writing . I love the whole Cupidi family - mother, daughter and child. I don't think there are any other crime novels I've read that are exploring this kind of family dynamic. - Susi Holliday”

William Shaw is one of the great rising talents of UK crime fiction. This is his best book to date, instantly engaging, beautifully written with really well observed and rounded characters. - Peter James

Salt Lane is taut, terrifying and timely; the emotional tension never slackens - Val McDermid

What a pleasure it is when one discovers a writer who combines ironclad storytelling techniques with the linguistic finesse of more literary novelists. William Shaw is surely such a writer, a man whose command of narrative grips the reader by the throat from page one, and never lets go - Barry Forshaw, Independent

Shaw's talent for sensuous storytelling comes to the fore . . . Goes from strength to strength, while making it all seem effortless. - Daily Mail

The question of why a killer kills is always central. William Shaw delivers a perfect motive - Spectator, on The Birdwatcher

William Shaw makes his sentences sing - New York Daily News

Superb . . . an emotional intensity found only in the very best crime fiction - Sunday Times, on A Book of Scars

Intriguing and atmospheric, Salt Lane covers tough topics with sensitivity, a dash of humour and above all, beautiful writing. I love the whole Cupidi family - mother, daughter and child. I don't think there are any other crime novels I've read that are exploring this kind of family dynamic. - Susi Holliday

William Shaw has been shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger, longlisted for the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year and nominated for a Barry Award. A regular at festivals, he organises panel talks and CWA events across the south east.

Shaw is the author of the acclaimed Breen & Tozer crime series: A Song from Dead Lips, A House of Knives, A Book of Scars and Sympathy for the Devil; and the standalone bestseller The Birdwatcher. He is writing a new crime series starring the character DS Alexandra Cupidi from The Birdwatcher, the first of which is Salt Lane. He worked as a journalist for over twenty years and lives in Brighton.

'William Shaw is one of the great rising talents of UK crime fiction. This is his best book to date' Peter James 'Taut, terrifying and timely' Val McDermid 'William Shaw is a superb storyteller' Peter May SHE ALWAYS WENT TOO FAR DS Alexandra Cupidi has done it again. She should have learnt to keep her big mouth shut, after the scandal that sent her packing - resentful teenager in tow - from the London Met to the lonely Kent coastline. Murder is different here, among the fens and stark beaches. SHE WAS THE ONE WHO FOUND THE KILLERS The man drowned in the slurry pit had been herded there like an animal. He was North African, like many of the fruit pickers that work the fields. The more Cupidi discovers, the more she wants to ask - but these people are suspicious of questions. AND NOW IT WAS KILLING HER It will take an understanding of this strange place - its old ways and new crimes - to uncover the dark conspiracy behind the murder. Cupidi is not afraid to travel that road. But she should be. She should, by now, have learnt. Salt Lane is the first in the new DS Alexandra Cupidi series. With his trademark characterisation and flair for social commentary, William Shaw has crafted a crime novel for our time that grips you, mind and heart.

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