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The Drowning Place

DS Joseph Ashe (Book 1)

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.Every place has its ghosts. Edenscar, a town in the Peak District, has more than most.

17 years ago, its inhabitants were hit by tragedy when a school bus veered off the road and everyone on board drowned. Everyone, that is, except Joseph Ashe. His miraculous survival has haunted him and the town ever since.

Now a Detective Sergeant in the local police, Joe is called to the scene of a brutal and apparently inexplicable crime. The whole town is spooked, but Joe’s new boss, DI Laurie Bower, more used to inner-city police work, has no time for superstition. She just wants to find the very real killer who has left no trace and apparently had no motive.

Joining forces, Joe and Laurie work to uncover the secrets of Edenscar, both past and present.

But when you dig up the dead, expect to get your hands dirty…

'Will chill you to the bone ... fantastic' PAULA HAWKINS
'Brilliant ... a terrific start to a series' MICK HERRON
'An instant crime classic' ERIN KELLY
‘Will take your breath away’ JANICE HALLETT


© Sarah Hilary 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Critics Review

Gorgeously vivid, moody and unsettling – I couldn’t put this down.
Red
Hilary excels at the delicate but merciless filleting of PTSD, guilt and grief: a flying start to what promises to be an excellent new series
Guardian
Already established as one of the genre's most compellingly soulful writers, Hilary has surpassed herself here.
Telegraph
Told with depth, warmth & humanity, this is Ann Cleeves territory, and Hilary displays every bit as much style and insight
Daily Mail
A classy and gripping read
The Sun
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
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
Will chill you to the bone… Fantastic
Paula Hawkins
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
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
Author Sarah Hilary
Narrator Simon Lawson
Series DS Joseph Ashe
Duration 9 hours and 42 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781529974997
Format Audiobook
Publisher Random House
Genre Contemporary horror and ghost stories, Crime and mystery: police procedural, Crime and mystery: women sleuths
Availability AU, GB, IE

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