Sixteen Horses

'So etwas wie ¿Sechzehn Pferde¿ haben Sie noch nicht gelesen. Ein zutiefst beunruhigender Ritt.' Val McDermidSechzehn Pferdeköpfe werden auf einer Farm des sterbenden englischen Küstenorts Ilmarsh entdeckt. Kreisförmig eingegraben in den Ackerboden, nur ein einziges Auge blickt in die rote Wintersonne. Die Veterinärforensikerin Dr. Cooper Allen wird zum Tatort gerufen. Früher wollten sie Tierleben retten, heute diagnostiziert sie ihren Tod. Dann entspinnt sich eine unvorhergesehene Kette weiterer Verbrechen. Durch die Kadaver in der Erde verbreitet sich eine Infektion, die Gemeinde wird unter Quarantäne gestellt. Die Außenseiterin soll mit dem örtlichen Polizisten Alec Nichols die schockierenden Fälle aufdecken. Doch was, wenn das Böse nicht nur im Boden lauert, sondern in den Menschen selbst? Etwas Böses, das Allen selbst immer tiefer in einen Strudel aus Schuld und Vergeltung hinabzieht?'Buchanan balanciert eindrucksvoll zwischen Horror und Empathie, zeigt das echte Böse und erforscht die menschlichen Kosten des wirtschaftlichen Zusammenbruchs.' Sara Sligar

'Irresistible' - Val McDermid, author of the Karen Pirie series<BR><BR>'Breathtaking' - Daily Mail<BR><BR>Forensic, dark and utterly gripping, Sixteen Horses is the debut literary thriller from an extraordinary talent, Greg Buchanan. For fans of Jane Harper's The Dry.<BR><BR>Near the dying English seaside town of Ilmarsh, local police detective Alec Nichols discovers sixteen horses' heads on a farm, each buried with a single eye facing the low winter sun. After forensic veterinarian Cooper Allen travels to the scene, the investigators soon uncover evidence of a chain of crimes in the community - disappearances, arson and mutilations - all culminating in the reveal of something deadly lurking in the ground itself.<BR><BR>In the dark days that follow, the town slips into panic and paranoia. Everything is not as it seems. Anyone could be a suspect. And as Cooper finds herself unable to leave town, Alec is stalked by an unseen threat. The two investigators race to uncover the truth behind these frightening and insidious mysteries - no matter the cost.<BR><BR>'Totally gripping' - Alex Michaelides, author of The Silent Patient and The Fury<BR><BR>'Read it, read it, read it' - B. P. Walter, author of The Dinner Guest<BR><BR>'Original' - Sophie Hannah, author of Haven't They Grown<BR><BR>Featured on BBC Two's Between The Covers

A slick, smart, stylish - and shocking - thriller from one of the most exciting new voices in crime fiction.<BR><BR>On a lonely farmstead, a 70-year-old woman falls down outside and, unable to move, is consumed overnight by two of her pigs.<BR><BR>It seems like a tragic accident, except the woman was well-known photographer Sophia Bertilak - and inside her house, someone has removed all her photos from their frames, seemingly erasing her past...<BR><BR>The first photo Sophia ever took remains her most infamous: a missing girl who was never seen again. Forensic veterinarian Cooper Allen is drafted in for the post-mortem - and slowly becomes obsessed with the victim, her family, and the crimes she brought to light decades ago.<BR><BR>As Cooper pulls on a dark thread of deception, secrets and lies, she begins to unravel the case - as well as herself...<BR><BR>'One of the most bold and brilliant voices in crime fiction' B. P. WALTER<BR><BR>'Dark, daring and deeply unnerving. Greg Buchanan is hugely talented, and Consumed will shock, shake, haunt and thrill you' CHRIS WHITAKER<BR><BR><BR>*<BR><BR>Praise for Sixteen Horses<BR><BR>'Utterly gripping, exquisitely written' THE GUARDIAN<BR><BR>'Unlike anything else you'll read this year, Sixteen Horses is a deeply disconcerting ride. Irresistible' VAL MCDERMID<BR><BR>'Totally gripping from start to finish' ALEX MICHAELIDES<BR><BR>'Original, beautifully written, terrifying and haunting' SOPHIE HANNAH<BR><BR>'Breath-taking ... This is crime writing of a striking calibre' DAILY MAIL