The Clearing
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- 11,99 €
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- 11,99 €
Publisher Description
From the author of the Sanctus series comes a brilliant new serial killer thriller featuring forensic specialist Dr Laughton Rees and Detective Inspector Tannahill Khan
‘The ending is genuinely one of the most jaw-dropping ones I’ve read in a long time. Absolutely superb.’ M.W. Craven
‘Unnerved me to my core’ Sam Holland
‘Scared the bloody daylights out of me. The very definition of haunting’ Helen Fields
‘In the spirit of Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta… Everything here suggests that Rees merits a long series run.’ Publisher’s Weekly
Women are going missing
Something deadly lurks in the forest around Cinderfield. Locals put the unusually high number of disappearances down to transients or runaways; some even blame the Cinderman, a figure of local legend rumoured to haunt the woods looking for unsuspecting victims.
Vanishing without a trace
Forensic specialist Laughton Rees doesn’t believe in monsters. Already investigating the area’s history of missing women, news of the latest ‘runaway’ Maddie Friar brings her to Cinderfield to find out the truth.
No one’s talking
But, from the gruff leader of an off-grid commune to the mysterious Earl who presides over the crumbling abbey in the heart of the forest, everyone in Cinderfield has something to hide
But what lies in the shadows?
As Laughton searches for answers, with the help of DCI Tannahil Khan back in London, someone is watching – cataloguing her every move, prepared to do anything to keep their dark secrets from coming to light
Reviews
‘Nail-biting and as haunting as the forest itself.’ Daily Mail
‘Everything you would expect from a thriller and then some’ Central Bylines
‘Beginning with a creepy abduction that unnerved me to my core, The Clearing follows an unsettling case where old myths and new greed collide. A welcome return for Laughton Rees and DCI Tannahill, getting to know them again as they reach the next stage of their budding relationship.’ Sam Holland
‘Scared the bloody daylights out of me. The very definition of haunting. Toyne is a guru of suspense writing, and this is him at the top of his craft. Makes for a breath-taking read.’ Helen Fields
‘Simon Toyne is one of the best storytellers writing today, but even by his high standards, The Clearing is something really special. In a story where not everything is as it seems, and as creeping death stalks the claustrophobic Forest of Dean, the returning Laughton Rees desperately searches for a missing girl, unaware that there are much bigger things at stake than the maybe-not-a-myth Cinderman. The pacing is frantic but not rushed, the tension is almost unbearable, and the ending is genuinely one of the most jaw-dropping ones I’ve read in a long time. Absolutely superb.’ M.W. Craven
‘In the spirit of Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta… Toyne makes the most of her creepy setting, and effectively conceals the truth behind the legend of the Cinderman until she’s ready to reveal it. Everything here suggests that Rees merits a long series run.’ Publisher’s Weekly
‘THE CLEARING is a spine-chilling, creepy-suspenseful mystery masterpiece! … This book had me hooked right to the end. I loved it!’ Steph Broadribb
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Toyne's second mystery featuring criminologist Laughton Rees (after 2022's Dark Objects) further establishes the character as an effective series lead in the spirit of Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta. Rees, whose estranged father was the commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police, consults for the U.K.'s National Crime Agency while conducting academic research on the connection between folklore and crimes. Those studies come in handy after 24-year-old Maddie Friar disappears from Cinderfield, a market town encircled by forest, on Midsummer's Eve. The woods near Cinderfield are reportedly the domain of the Cinderman, "some kind of forest phantom who's believed to prey on young women, particularly around certain dates like the summer solstice." That legend has been sustained by the disappearances of almost 60 women over 20 years, and when Rees learns about Friar's case, she heads to Cinderfield to investigate. Her efforts aren't welcomed by the area's chief constable, who suspects Friar, a woman with a lengthy criminal record, may not be missing at all. As Rees digs deeper and faces increasing resistance, she uncovers real-life horrors far scarier than any legend. Toyne makes the most of her creepy setting, and effectively conceals the truth behind the legend of the Cinderman until she's ready to reveal it. Everything here suggests that Rees merits a long series run.
