A ritualistic murder. Sacred ground. Powerful enemies. DS Ballantyne’s trials are only just starting.

Christopher Piper, Middlehampton Cathedral’s fiery artist in residence, is found crucified at the altar, a bloody message daubed at his feet.

DS Kat Ballantyne knows this will be no ordinary case. The killer’s message was deliberate. The staging was precise. Who hated Christopher enough to desecrate this holy place?

The cathedral is preparing for its 500-year celebrations. Church leaders want the crime scene cleared and the scandal contained. Her own superiors demand results. But someone wants the truth buried.

Teaming up with brilliant, quirky forensic specialist Dr Hannah Fellowes, Kat begins to unravel a tangled web of religious symbolism, church politics, corruption and human weakness. As powerful forces close ranks, the investigation becomes a race against time.

An invitation to join a powerful group offers hope. What she discovers there shakes Kat’s faith in who she can trust—and who she should suspect. Because in a cathedral of lies, even the most sacred truths can be deadly.

© 2026 by Andy Maslen. ℗ 2026 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.