The Wild Ruins

Some ruins hide more than just history…

A generation of lost children…

In Victorian England, unwanted babies were a problem to be solved. And in a lonely part of the countryside, The Wainwright School was praised for giving them a home. But the children who passed through its doors had a troubling habit of disappearing.

A detective drawn back to the past…

Jake Jackson should be taking things easy. His wife is pregnant, and a dangerous woman from his police days has resurfaced with nothing to lose. But when bones are uncovered from the ruins of the Wainwright school, and a Victorian diary points to a cover-up, Jake cannot help himself.

Some crimes take a century to solve…

The closer Jake gets to the truth, the clearer it becomes that some people will go to any lengths to make sure these children stay forgotten forever.

Reviews

Praise for Stig Abell

'Atmospheric and chilling but also humorous and always humane' Elly Griffiths

'Terrific characters, locations, action and suspense – this series is irresistible' Lee Child

‘I LOVED this. I found it totally immersive…The writing is very classy’ Ann Cleeves

‘An immersive, intelligent delight with huge atmosphere and heart. My favourite new crime series' Lucy Foley

‘Abell is a skilled storyteller…highly recommend’ Karin Slaughter

‘Utterly beautiful descriptive prose’ Jane Casey

‘A darkly elegant, thrilling, escapist slice of countryside crime’ Chris Whitaker

‘An outstanding debut’ Jeffrey Archer

‘Stylish…a more than promising debut’ The Times

‘A charming, well-told story with heart’ Daily Mail

'Utterly splendid novels' A. J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window

'I love this series' Broadcaster Dermot O'Leary

'Spending time in Jake's company becomes rather addictive' Broadcaster Fi Glover

'Mysterious, romantic and exciting' Actor Phil Dunster

‘An absorbing tale’ Sun

‘A cosy crime read with an appealing protagonist’ Guardian

‘Characters so real we feel we know them’ Jeffery Deaver

‘Brilliant, gripping, fantastic … I can’t put it down’ Chris Evans

‘An atmospheric, often meditative, and beautifully written crime novel’ Vaseem Khan

‘A joyful dive into the detective genre’ Observer

‘A tense and twisty crime thriller’ iPaper

‘A wonderful tale, magnificently told’ Sam Holland

‘Beautifully written, with a twist that truly knocked me sideways’ Andrew Taylor