First published 2015
Dandy Gilver would rather spend Christmas anywhere but the storm-battered fishing villages of Banffshire. The Northamptonshire native finds herself clinging to crumbling cliff tops where even seagulls fear to perch. But when mysterious objects begin appearing in herring barrels, each carrying the unmistakable scent of murder, Dandy accepts the case. She and her reliable partner Alec Osborne arrive to find the fishing community deep in wedding season. Ancient customs clash with fresh horrors as they navigate both celebration and investigation. The herring drifters continue their dangerous work in the bay, hauling in their silver catch while secrets surface from the depths. Dandy must abandon conventional thinking to untangle her most disturbing mystery yet, one that threatens to destroy the tight-knit community she's come to protect.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, crime, detective, 21st-century, cozy-mystery
Vibes: atmospheric, cozy, suspenseful
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unconventional-detective
Setting: Banffshire, Northamptonshire
Period: Christmas
320 pages · Paperback · Hodder & Stoughton