In the quiet hours before dawn, a young victim is found slumped in the doorway of a lakeside pub in northern Maine, his life already slipping away. Nobody knows how he got there, but this is no ordinary death.

Detective Philippa Fraiser uncovers whispers of a hidden drug operation threading through the back roads and ranger stations of the Maine wilderness.

And far from town, a mother sits in remote isolation, fearing the worst — her son missing, her instincts screaming that someone out there knows why.

As the forest closes in and the network begins to turn on itself, Philippa must confront a truth buried deep in the wilderness.

Here is what the readers say…

“Wow! A fast paced crime thriller that grabs you quickly, spins you around and then some! The story of a young man murdered in the doorway of a bar that leads to one thing and then another. A book that tantalises but easy to follow with a fabulous female lead detective in Philippa.

A brilliantly written, very cleverly and thoroughly executed plot that must have taken some very careful planning and plotting with the whole gamut of emotions woven through. Of loss and hope, tragedy and justice and that gritty tenacity to see a job done to its end,

This is Alistair's best book yet and the rest were fabulous. If you love a twisty thriller that keeps you on tenterhooks dive right in - this could be the book for you.

Are there enough superlatives? Probably not, so I’ll just say fan-bloomin-tastic and give it the 5 stars it so readily deserves. Loved it.”