Seeking refuge from a tragic past, a forensic pathologist must search for a devious killer in a rural English village in this crime thriller series debut. Three years ago, Dr. David Hunter left London for rural Norfolk to escape the tragic loss of his wife and daughter. Giving up his career in criminal forensics, he now works as a simple country doctor in the village of Manham. But when the corpse of a woman is found in the woods, a macabre sign from her killer decorating her body, David struggles to remain uninvolved. As a newcomer, David finds he must join the investigation in order to avoid suspicion. When another woman disappears, the case becomes personal. This time, she is someone David knows-someone who has managed to get past the barrier around his heart. With the killer's twisted methods screaming out to him and a brooding countryside beset with fear and distrust, David can feel the darkness gathering around him. As the clock ticks down on the young woman's life, David must follow a macabre trail of clues-all the way to its final, horrifying conclusion. "Brilliantly original . . . Simon's first crime novel The Chemistry of Death absolutely blew me away and he just gets better by the book!" -Peter James, UK No. 1 bestselling author