Playing For The Ashes

A perfectly-plotted, ‘deeply shocking’ (Daily Mail) novel in the iconic, bestselling series that inspired BBC’s Lynley

‘So much more than just a detective novel’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review
‘The unexpected twists are formidable!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review
‘Kept me on the hook right to the end’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review
‘The washing up remained unstacked and dust settled as I could not put this down until I knew the end’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review
‘One of the finest wordsmiths I have read’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review

When the body of England’s leading batsman, Kenneth Fleming, is discovered in the burnt-out shell of a country cottage, it looks like a clear-cut case of arson.

Further investigation, however, reveals an almost embarrassing multitude of suspects for murder: from Fleming’s lover to his son, nearly everyone in contact with Fleming seems to have a motive – and an opportunity.

Inspector Lynley and his partner, Barbara Havers, are called in from Scotland Yard to help the local police force. What awaits them is a torment of twisted familial relationships and broken dreams – and as Lynley seeks to bring the murderer to justice, he must bear the weight of his own conscience.

Praise for Playing for the Ashes

‘Brilliant . . . Deeply shocking’
The Times

‘An adult and meaty crime story revolving around the perfect murder’
Daily Mail

‘A treat . . . Unsentimental but heartbreaking, with complex characters and a sense of the sadness of life, this book is a treasure’
Cosmopolitan

‘Another tour de force from one of today’s best storytellers’
Booklist