It's the perfect getaway. Until there's no way out.

The weekend-long Murder Tour ends with an evening at Black Tarn Lodge which seems to offer everything for 'dark tourists'. Not only is it a magnificent Gothic mansion nestling deep in the remote Forest of Bowland, it once belonged to deceased horror legend, Edgar Karnwood, and is now filled with costumes and mementoes from his many movies. Offering an elegant dinner and the screening of a legendary lost film, it's the ideal way to complete the Tour. Until night falls and a thick fog isolates the house. Until all the guests' phones go missing. And then, one by one, they start vanishing...

When a body is found, is it an accident or murder? Asking why is no priority, because suddenly everyone is cut off. No one can leave the Lodge or even call for help. They don't even know each other that well, but they're going to have to work out who they can trust soon. Because whoever's behind this slaying, he or she plainly isn't finished yet.

And who will be next? No one is safe at Black Tarn Lodge.

From Sunday Times bestseller Paul Finch comes a Gothic destination thriller that will leave you breathless. Perfect for fans of Laura Purcell, Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley.

Paul Finch is a number-one e-book bestseller and a top-ten Sunday Times bestseller. He first worked as a policeman in the north-west of England and then as a journalist.

His writing career commenced with episodes of the hit television drama The Bill, and since then, he has written extensively in the horror, fantasy, historical epic and sci-fi genres, including for Doctor Who. He is a two-time winner of the British Fantasy Award and a recipient of the International Horror Guild Award. However, Paul is probably best known for his dark crime thriller novels, including the Heckenburg and Clayburn series, and for his first novel with Thomas & Mercer, The Island. In his capacity as thriller writer, he has twice been shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association Dagger Awards.

The Lodge is Paul’s second novel for Thomas & Mercer, and, while firmly in murder-mystery territory, it draws on his love of Gothic fiction and classic horror movies. It also leans into the worlds of true crime, which he reads regularly, and so-called ‘dark tourism’, which he is both fascinated by and worried about in equal measure.

Paul lives in Lancashire with his wife and business partner, Cathy.