Industry Reviews
Works on multiple levels: a compelling murder mystery, an examination of the impact of survivor’s guilt, and an empathetic dissection of life in small town Britain. Written with Hilary’s trademark flair for prose, this first episode in a new police procedural series sings with originality and authenticity
VASEEM KHAN
I've found my favourite new series. The Drowning Place is the first in Sarah Hilary's gothic-tinged, Peak District-set police series, introducing us to an engaging and emotionally-complex cast of characters, with her trademark astute and compelling writing. A moving, gripping and unique exploration of survivor's guilt, and the web of relationships and secrets in a small-town community. Happy Valley, but haunted. I genuinely can't wait for the next book in the series
ANNA MAZZOLA
Brilliant! A truly impressive piece of work that breaks new ground for the genre - dark, original and quite alarmingly readable. I’m delighted we’ll be seeing more of Sammi, Joe and Laurie - and I hope the gothic world of the Peak District
ANDREW TAYLOR
Crime novels often feature the detectives' personal lives alongside their professional work but in this book the two truly intertwine with poignant, sometimes shocking results. DS Joe Ashe is a beautifully drawn character to be sympathised with, but never pitied, while the rural Derbyshire landscape, expertly evoked forms a stunning backdrop for a very satisfying mystery. The Drowning Place marks the start of a wonderfully constructed police procedural series, where the crime at the heart of the novel is only part of the very moving story
SINÉAD CROWLEY
A crime fiction masterclass. Sarah Hilary’s latest touches on survivor’s guilt, small towns, murders and driven detectives in prose that rivals the best in the business
STEVE CAVANAGH
Smart, beautifully balanced, and with a plot that blasts through defences, this start to a new detective series is an absolutely cracker.
LoveReading.co.uk
Exceptional. This is impeccable crime fiction from one of the very best writers of her generation: gripping, moving, taut and utterly compelling. DS Joe Ashe and DI Laurie Bower won my heart and I'm counting the days until the next in this superb new series.
JANE CASEY
Beautifully written with a premise that grips you from the start, I fell in love with this new novel from Sarah Hilary.
SARAH WARD
A cracking read...shot through with pathos and pitch-dark humour, it's an utterly immersive mystery that teases via masterful misdirection and haunts you with the humanity of its characters.
D. V. BISHOP
Darkly atmospheric and overflowing with humanity, The Drowning Place is both breathtakingly original and an instant crime classic. An career best from the inimitable Sarah Hilary.
ERIN KELLY
Wonderful, sad and wise. It's a relentless crime drama, a devastating meditation on loss, and a dual character study full of humour and charm. Hilary doesn't just investigate an unspeakable crime; she investigates the human heart. I'll be counting the days until I can get back to Edenscar.
ABIGAIL DEAN
Brilliant… a terrific start to a series
Mick Herron
Shot through with pathos and pitch-dark humour, it's an utterly immersive mystery that teases via masterful misdirection and haunts you with the humanity of its characters. Best of all, the first in a series!
DV Bishop
Sarah Hilary has created something truly special and unique. A soulful, haunting mystery that brings something entirely new to the genre, all told with Hilary’s stand-out prose to deliver a stellar first entry in a new series that I immediately want to read more of. Bring on book two!
C.M. Ewan
Darkly atmospheric and overflowing with humanity, The Drowning Place is both breathtakingly original and an instant crime classic. A career best from the inimitable Sarah Hilary.
Erin Kelly
The Drowning Place is a masterpiece. Simple as that. A gripping, atmospheric, chilling novel replete with Sarah Hilary’s trademark unnerving turn of phrase and layered characterisation. A thriller that lingers long after lights out
William Hussey
A dazzling crime novel that heralds the start of an unmissable new police procedural series. Sarah Hilary’s writing is bitingly authentic and riven with emotional insight. I loved every page of this dark, propulsive, and assured novel.
Lucy Clarke
The dark poetry of Sarah Hilary’s writing has always been both exhilarating and terrifying, but she has truly excelled herself with The Drowning Place. Every paragraph is tripwire taut, disturbing, and loaded with emotion and pathos. The harsh beauty of the Peak District —including the no-nonsense people who live — is described with Hilary's typical scalpel-sharp vividness, the protagonists are layered and richly drawn, and the plot draws you in from the very first page. Consider me a fan. Highly recommended
MW Craven
Sarah Hilary delivers a masterclass in suspense. Taut, gripping, and utterly compelling. The Drowning Place is filled with unforgettable characters, and a haunting story that will stay with you
Nadine Matheson
Haunting, atmospheric and utterly captivating. Sarah Hilary is a truly gifted writer and has given us a unique double act in Ashe and Bower. This deserves to be a long-running series
Michael Wood
Will chill you to the bone… Fantastic
Paula Hawkins
Sarah Hilary breaks new ground with The Drowning Place, where the ghosts of the past still have a part to play in the crimes of the now. You will fall in love with Joe Ashe...
Belinda Bauer
Gloriously dark and refreshingly original. This is my favourite Sarah Hilary so far.
Sharon Bolton
This is just so good. Highly original. Taut. Propulsive. Beautifully written; atmospheric and immersive. At times it felt almost unbearably tense, but the whole thing is shot through with such pathos and warmth. Hilary is unflinching in her depiction of the horror of a triple murder, and the reality of rural poverty, but my overriding sense was of the humanity of DS Joe Ashe and his new boss, DI Laurie Bower: a brilliant new police procedural duo. I’ve long admired Hilary’s writing, but this is next level stuff
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Hilary masterfully crafts a dark, atmospheric story, that’s both original and emotionally astute. Beautifully observed characters, complex and multi-layered, bring the narrative to life. Hilary’s writing demonstrates a deep understanding of grief and the psychological toll of trauma on those affected by loss, whilst delivering a dark and satisfying mystery. A haunting, thought-provoking read, guaranteed to keep readers on the edge of their seats
Amanda Jennings
Absorbing, moving, unforgettable … I’ve never read a book quite like The Drowning Place. A grieving town, a haunted detective and a crime that affects the living and the dead. A triumphant start to a new series from the brilliant Sarah Hilary
Elly Griffiths
This is just so good. Highly original. Taut. Propulsive. Beautifully written; atmospheric and immersive. At times it felt almost unbearably tense, but the whole thing is shot through with such pathos and warmth. Hilary is unflinching in her depiction of the horror of a triple murder, and the reality of rural poverty, but my overriding sense was of the humanity of DS Joe Ashe and his new boss, DI Laurie Bower: a brilliant new police procedural duo. I’ve long admired Hilary’s writing, but this is next level stuff
Sarah Hall
Sarah Hilary is the maestra of compelling, thought-provoking crime fiction. The Drowning Place delivers psychological depth laced with the supernatural, as well as a heart-stopping final twist.
Carolyn Kirby
A darkly wrenching whodunnit with a twisting conclusion, and a hero readers are sure to fall for. Sarah Hilary at her very best
Ruth Ware
A flawless novel. I didn't want it to end
Fiona Cummins
Sarah Hilary’s new detective thriller is exemplary to all lovers of the genre. The blow-in inspector is teamed up with the haunted cop to investigate an armoury in a vacant house and the next day, a triple murder, including a baby. Nothing is as it seems. This is fresh and clever writing, intricate plotting and superb characterisation. I loved every page.
Liz Nugent
A character-driven plot that will take your breath away. A first class read
JANICE HALLETT
A hauntingly beautiful and truly original crime novel. So layered, so clever; a gripping plot with a cast of unforgettable characters, but also a poignant and darkly charming examination of guilt and loss – I couldn’t read it fast enough, and cannot wait for the next instalment in the series
Nicci Cloke
Deep, atmospheric, original . . . a haunting, riveting story and such a distinctive, almost gothic setting
Abir Mukherjee
Incredible characters, darkness, light, warmth, humour, heart . . . Sarah Hilary shows us how it should be done – a masterpiece’
Andrea Mara
