The Dead Lie Down »

Sophie Hannah is an award-winning poet and crime fiction writer whose novels are international bestsellers.

A breathtaking novel of psychological suspense from the author of Little Face and The Wrong Mother

Featuring the return of Sergeant Charlotte "Charlie" Zailer and DC Simon Waterhouse, The Dead Lie Down is another sophisticated, addictive read from the new mistress of the page-turner.

Ruth Bussey once did something wrong-horribly wrong-and was nearly destroyed by her punishment. Now, she has tentatively rebuilt her life and unexpectedly found love with a man named Aidan Seed. But Aidan also has a secret-he killed someone years ago, a woman named Mary Trelease. Ruth's horror turns to confusion when she realizes that she knows Mary Trelease, and Mary is very much alive.

Publishers Weekly

Det. Sgt. Charlotte “Charlie” Zailer and Det. Constable Simon Waterhouse face one of their strangest cases yet in this superb thriller from Hannah (The Wrong Mother). Ruth Bussey, who suffered a violent attack years earlier, arrives at the police station in the English town of Spilling and explains that her boyfriend, painter Aidan Seed, confessed to murdering a woman named Mary Trelease. Charlie and Simon—who recently got engaged, despite their bizarre relationship—are reluctant to take Ruth seriously, especially after they learn that Mary, a reclusive painter, is alive and well. Ruth’s insistence, bordering on the obsessive, prompts the detectives to start digging into Mary’s history. The pair soon discover disturbing links to Aidan and the art world. When an actual murder is committed, Charlie and Simon must sort out what’s real and what’s imagined. A master of intricate plotting, Hannah seamlessly melds the police procedural with a gothic-inspired whodunit. 5-city author tour. (June)