The Clearing
A Novel
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected Jul 11, 2023
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- $14.99
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- Pre-Order
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
In this gripping suspense novel from the bestselling author of the Sanctus trilogy, lead forensic expert Laughton Rees is back, this time investigating a series of missing women in a small town near the Forest of Dean—where she uncovers a dark and sinister plot, decades in the making.
Adele Friar knows better than most that something dangerous lurks in the forest. So when her sister Maddie goes missing, she fears that the woods may hold the answers. After all, Maddie isn’t the only one who has disappeared recently.
Locals put the unusually high number of missing persons in the area down to inexperienced hikers getting lost in the forest’s depths, or girls abandoning their sleepy rural town for the excitement of city life. Some even blame the Cinderman, a legend who haunts the woods looking for unsuspecting victims.
Forensic specialist Laughton Rees doesn’t believe in legends, she believes in facts. With help from Adele and DCI Tannahill Khan back in London, she is determined to find Maddie and dispel the dangerous ghost stories once and for all.
But something strange is going on in the forest—the police seem reluctant to investigate the disappearances, and the locals aren’t talking. What if the monster in the woods isn’t a myth after all, and a cold-blooded killer is stalking his victims from the shadowy safety of the trees?
As Laughton and Adele question everyone, 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, they slowly begin to unravel the legend of the Cinderman—and discover the truth is far uglier, and far more dangerous, than any mythical monster.
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. Agent: Alcie Saunders, Soho Agency.
