Set in and around the dark, misty canals of Lichfield, Stephen Booth’s incredible new novel is awash with mystery.
When council officer Chris Buckley is approached by an odd old man demanding help in healing a decades-old family rift, he sends the stranger away.
But then the old man is murdered, and the police arrive on the Chris’s doorstep asking questions to which he has no answers.
As Chris begins to look into the circumstances of the murder, he uncovers a deadly secret in the silt and mud of the local canals that he’ll realise was better kept buried.
PRAISE FOR STEPHEN BOOTH
‘Makes high summer as terrifying as midwinter’
Val McDermid
‘A modern master’
Guardian
‘Crime writing of the finest quality’
Daily Mail
‘Ingenious plotting and richly atmospheric’
Reginald Hill
‘A first-rate mystery’
Sunday Telegraph
When council officer Chris Buckley is approached by an odd old man demanding help in healing a decades-old family rift, he sends the stranger away.
But then the old man is murdered, and the police arrive on the Chris’s doorstep asking questions to which he has no answers.
As Chris begins to look into the circumstances of the murder, he uncovers a deadly secret in the silt and mud of the local canals that he’ll realise was better kept buried.
PRAISE FOR STEPHEN BOOTH
‘Makes high summer as terrifying as midwinter’
Val McDermid
‘A modern master’
Guardian
‘Crime writing of the finest quality’
Daily Mail
‘Ingenious plotting and richly atmospheric’
Reginald Hill
‘A first-rate mystery’
Sunday Telegraph
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Reviews
All through the book is a chilld atsmophere and it gives a tight edginess to the tale. Another excellent read from Booth
A compelling read with well-developed characters. Equally fascinating was the way the background to the group of hikers was revealed, and eventually the killer was unmasked. But I didn't guess who! Most highly recommended
The plot is good, with plenty of twists and a villain I didn't spot even though there were plenty of clues
The historical details add fascinating depth to this big fat mystery
An interesting and absorbing personal read that I enjoyed as a fan of Booth's many other crime thrillers. I am sure book clubs will love the theme and have much to discuss and unravel
I love reading about these characters. I love the world in which Ben moves and I really enjoy the cases with which he is confronted. I always look forward to the next installment of this wonderful series.
Clever, beautifully written and superbly plotted, this is an entertaining page-turner with a compelling twist in the tail.
Stephen Booth (of the Cooper & Fry police series) has written a crackerjack standalone novel in Drowned Lives
The Peak District setting is as striking as ever . . . the ever-present threat of violence will get under your skin.
As ever in Booth's long-running, award-winning and hugely popular Peak District series, it's the extraordinary landscape and its often violent history that most captivates the reader
An elegant reflection of what's happening in the country at large.
The underlying mystery and the moments of high drama place the novel firmly in the crime genre, but the mix of ingredients adds up to far more. Drowned Lives is Stephen Booth at the top of his game
The highest of the Derbyshire peaks is the dramatic setting . . . Gripping
This is an enjoyable, very readable yet understated crime novel by an accomplished author.
The master of this territory
Packed with the misty atmosphere of the Saffordshire canals . . . I loved both the historical and modern storylines and the moody waterways' backdrop
The brooding presence of Kinder Scout, the highest point in the Peak District, hangs over Stephen Booth's
fine novel Fall down Dead