Sixteen Horses

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What to expect

** FEATURED ON BBC TWO'S BETWEEN THE COVERS **

'Unlike anything else you'll read this year, Sixteen Horses is a deeply disconcerting ride. Irresistible' - Val McDermid, author of Still Life

'Totally gripping from start to finish' - Alex Michaelides, author of The Silent Patient

'Original, beautifully written, terrifying and haunting' - Sophie Hannah, author of Haven't They Grown

Near the dying English seaside town of Ilmarsh, local police detective Alec Nichols discovers sixteen horses’ heads on a farm, each buried with a single eye facing the low winter sun. After forensic veterinarian Cooper Allen travels to the scene, the investigators soon uncover evidence of a chain of crimes in the community – disappearances, arson and mutilations – all culminating in the reveal of something deadly lurking in the ground itself.

In the dark days that follow, the town slips into panic and paranoia. Everything is not as it seems. Anyone could be a suspect. And as Cooper finds herself unable to leave town, Alec is stalked by an unseen threat. The two investigators race to uncover the truth behind these frightening and insidious mysteries – no matter the cost.

Sixteen Horses is the debut literary thriller from an extraordinary talent, Greg Buchanan. A story of enduring guilt, trauma and punishment, set in a small seaside community the rest of the world has left behind . . .

Critics Review

  • Unlike anything else you’ll read this year, Sixteen Horses is a deeply disconcerting ride. Irresistible

    Val McDermid

  • Dark, visceral and disturbing, this highly suspenseful and beautifully written thriller is totally gripping from start to finish. A hugely impressive debut

    Alex Michaelides, author of The Silent Patient

  • Original, beautifully written, terrifying and haunting. I won’t forget this novel

    Sophie Hannah, author of Haven't They Grown

  • A breath-taking debut . . . written with immense panache. This is crime writing of a striking calibre, which constantly surprises as it takes unexpected twist after twist — leaving you desperate for more

    Daily Mail

  • Utterly gripping, exquisitely written [. . .] Haunting and very dark, this is certainly worth the read

    Guardian

  • Sometimes you come across a work of fiction so staggeringly good, it’s almost impossible to find words that can do justice to its brilliance and adequately describe how it made you feel. In the end, all that needs to be said is this: read it, read it, read it

    B. P. Walter, author of The Dinner Guest

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