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THE GRIPPING NEW NOVEL FROM THE DAGGER-AWARD WINNING AUTHOR

'A powerful, thought-provoking story. . . a vital read for any crime fan' Kate Rhodes on Life Ruins

When everyone hides the truth, who do you turn to?

Becca’s had a hard time of it, but she has finally got her life together. She has a nice little flat, a steady job pulling pints, and she’s even seeing someone new: Andy, who keeps his private life to himself but is always good for a laugh. And then Andy vanishes. When his body turns up on isolated Sunk Island, Becca learns Andy wasn’t just another punter. He was a police officer, deep undercover, investigating a drugs ring that he believed operated out of Becca’s pub.

Staggered by the betrayal, Becca turns to the only person she thinks she can trust: her foster mum, Kay. But Kay has problems of her own. She’s just moved into a short-term let in the hopes of finding some peace and quiet. But peace and quiet are hard to come by on Sunk Island . . .

Before long, both women are drawn into a terrifying world of drugs, money and death.

Perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, Tana French and Denise Mina - a story about the people we are... and the people we aren't.

**READERS ARE LOVING SOMEONE WHO ISN'T ME**


'A must for all crime fans' 5 star review

'Unputdownable... Kot never lets the pace drop in this nerve-racking, dark thriller' 5 star review

'Excellent crime fiction, keeping the suspense taut, the plot twists intriguing and reaching a fully satisfying conclusion' 5 star review

'This is award-winning Danuta Kot's sequel to Life Ruins, a gritty, powerful and thought-provoking crime novel with a terrific, atmospheric sense of location in the northern Yorkshire coast' 5 star review

'Kot will keep you hooked until the ingenious and nail-biting end... The Holderness landscape of the ambiguous Sunk Island, no island at all, creates its own menace in this atmospheric page-turner' 5 star review

Praise for Danuta Kot:

'I couldn’t put it down. I was so invested in these people, and desperately wanted them to make it through their ordeal... Set firmly in the real world and populated with characters who feel completely authentic’ Sheffield Telegraph

'Life Ruins has all the elements I love in a novel - complex characters, an insidious underlying menace, and haunting landscapes. This dark story will suck you in from the first page' Stephen Booth, author of Fall Down Dead

'Explores real issues, from the perspective of real, damaged people, and told with a real warmth and understanding. Danuta Kot raises the bar for all crime writers' Michael Jecks, author of Pilgrim's War

‘Powerful and thought provoking . . . I was hooked from start to finish’ The Bookwormery

‘An atmospheric story that will draw you effortlessly into the pages’ Hooked from Page One

‘Engrossing and chilling, [Life Ruins] is the perfect read for a winter’s eveningwhere the mind can roam upon the lives and troubles of others’ Shots Magazine

About The Author

Danuta Kot grew up with stories. Her Irish mother and her Polish father kept their own cultures alive with traditional tales they shared with their children. For many years, she worked with young people in Yorkshire who were growing up in the aftermath of sudden industrial decline. She uses this background in her books to explore some of the issues that confront modern, urban society: poverty, alienation and social breakdown, using the contexts of the modern crime novel. She now works as a senior education consultant, work that involves travel to establish education and training in other parts of the world. She is a regular academic speaker at conferences and literary festivals, and has appeared on radio and television.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (May 5, 2021)
  • Length: 448 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781471175978

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