Her eyes flutter open, but it’s dark, and she can only make out shadows. She winces as tight cords dig into the soft skin of her arms, immobilising her. Where am I? The last thing she can remember is Molly, pleading with her to come back inside. Her whole body hurts. She moans again, and then she hears it. Soft breathing nearby. She’s not alone...

As the sun sets into the sea over the pretty Cornish town of St Ives, a young woman, Freya Kempston, hasn’t returned home after a day out in the mall at St Austell. Panicking, her husband begs Detective Lauren Pengelly and her team to find her. Has Freya run out on her stable, loving marriage, or has something more sinister taken place?

Grainy security footage from the mall provides the first break in the case – capturing Freya talking intently with a well-known local mechanic on the day she disappeared. But when cornered, the mechanic denies even knowing her. It's a puzzle that Lauren and her new partner, Detective Matt Price, can't ignore. They scrutinise the video, hunting for missed clues…

Just as Lauren and Matt begin to untangle the man’s alibi, another woman vanishes after a late shift at the local supermarket. And then a third goes missing while at a nightclub in town. A shiver runs down Lauren’s spine when she realises they’re up against a serial predator, and he’s one step ahead of the police.

Digging deeper into the lives of the missing women, Lauren stumbles upon a series of concealed messages and covert meetings – a hidden life none of their families knew about. The three women were connected, bound by secrets that could hold the key to where they’re being held. The revelation sends Lauren and Matt on a heart-pounding race against time, knowing that with every ticking second there’s less chance of finding them alive…

A totally unputdownable mystery from the bestselling author of the Cavendish and Walker series. Guaranteed to have you racing to the end! This book is perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel McLean and J M Dalgliesh.