The Darkness Around Her

A lawyer and his investigator must discover why his client accused of a gruesome murder remains silent in this dark legal thriller.

One freezing December night, the body of young, vulnerable, Lizzie Barnsley is found on the side of an isolated canal. When blood from her stiletto heel matches that on a wound on the head of Peter Box, police swiftly declare him the prime suspect in her murder.

Criminal lawyer, Dan Grant, is called in to provide Peter Box’s legal defense, along with investigator, Jayne Brett. They need answers from Box—but he’s not talking.

As they dig deeper into the case, they discover that this brutal slaying is just the latest in a series of deaths in the Northern town of Highford, starting with the murder of teenager Rosie Smith a decade ago. Blood spatter linked her stepfather, Sean Martin, to the crime—so why did Peter Box try to claim he’d killed young Rosie?

As the investigation deepens, and more murders along the towpaths come to light – murders that can’t be linked to Peter Box—Jayne and Dan realize that they have stumbled onto a dark conspiracy in their little town.

It’s clear Peter has something to hide, but is he a killer? Grant and Brett are plunged into a race against time to uncover the truth…before a twisted psychopath claims another victim.

Fans of Angela Marsons, Steve Cavanagh, and John Grisham will be hooked until the very last page.

Praise for the writing Neil White

“A lively, accurate and absolutely compelling legal thriller; stand-out in both its prose and its plot. The characters are still with me, two days after finishing it. I couldn't put it down.” —Gillian McAllister, Sunday Times-bestselling author of Everything But the Truth

“One of the best writers of legal thrillers out there.” —David Jackson, author of Don’t Make A Sound and A Tapping At My Door