A brilliantly creepy and haunting thriller. A girl has disappeared during the Midsummer night's celebrations in a Gloucestershire forest. But forensic specialist Laughton Rees notes women have been vanishing for some time. Is this the work of local legend 'The Cinderman'? Laughton makes it her mission to find the missing girl who may not even be alive...

This is the second in the Dr Laughton Rees series and after really enjoying Dark Objects I was looking forward to it!

When Maddie becomes the latest in a pretty long list of girls who have gone missing around the Cinderfield her sister Adele finds herself up against it in her quest to find her and the local policee are not being particularly helpful. The case pops onto Rees' radar and at a bit of a loose end while her daughter is away, she heads off to help out and uncovers much more than expected.

A great revisit to the Rees story with this dark and twisty story. Enjoyed seeing more of the relationship development between Laughton and Tannahill, looking forward to more!

🎧4.5⭐️

NB Previously published as The Clearing

This is the second in the series. I loved Dark Objects so was interested in this book especially as it was available in audiobook. It works well as a standalone.

I had the audiobook of this mystery thriller read by Shazia Nichols and Hugh Ross who do a good job.

Serial killer thriller with forensic specialist Laughton Rees and detective inspector Tannahill Khan.
I really liked Laughton, it doesn’t feel like a trad procedural, Laughton predominantly works with Adele whose sister has gone missing calling in favours from Tannahill. It bypasses all the boring office based stuff but still very much crime.
It’s got short snappy chapters, utilising several plot layers which really add interest and depth to the story. It grabbed my attention early on and kept me engrossed throughout, it builds up to quite an epic finale.