Where Roses Fade

Andrew Taylor is a master story-tellerDaily Telegraph

From the No.1 bestselling author of The Ashes of London and TheFire Court, this is the fifth instalment in the acclaimed Lydmouth series

When Mattie Harriss body is found drowned in the river, everyone in Lydmouth knows something is wrong. Mattie wasnt a swimmer - it cant have been a simple accident. She was drunk on the last night of her life - could she have fallen in? Or was she pushed?

Mattie was a waitress, of no importance at all, so when Lydmouths most prominent citizens become very anxious to establish that her death was accidental, Jill Franciss suspicions become roused. In the meantime she is becoming ever closer to Inspector Richard Thornhill, and discovering that the living have as many secrets as the dead...

An excellent writer. He plots with care and intelligence and the solution to the mystery is satisfyingly chillingThe Times

The most under-rated crime writer in Britain todayVal McDermid

There is no denying Taylors talent, his prose exudes a quality uncommon among his contemporariesTime Out