'Taut storytelling and razor-sharp dialogue . . . a novel not to be missed' Daily Mail A security van sets off for Durham prison, a disgraced Special Branch officer in the back. It never arrives. En route it is hijacked by armed men, the prisoner sprung. Suspended from duty on suspicion of aiding and abetting the audacious escape of his former boss, Detective Sergeant Matthew Ryan is locked out of the manhunt. Desperate to preserve his career and prove his innocence, he backs off. But when the official investigation falls apart, under surveillance and with his life in danger, Ryan goes dark, enlisting others in his quest to discover the truth. When the trail leads to the suspicious death of a Norwegian national, Ryan uncovers an international conspiracy that has claimed the lives of many. 'Very creepy. Read it on your commute and you'll be looking over your shoulder all the way home' Marie Claire 'A rollercoaster of a ride involving corruption, surveillance and espionage . . . the author is a brilliant writer' Sun Follow Mari Hannah on Twitter at twitter.com/ mariwriter www.marihannah.com

Starting with The Silent Room, Mari Hannah’s series of crime fiction novels featuring DS Matthew have been described by the Sun as ‘a rollercoaster of a ride involving corruption, surveillance and espionage . . . the author is a brilliant writer’. Ryan tackles the most sinister of cases in Newcastle, Northumbria and further afield. A former probation officer, Mari won the CWA Dagger in the Library award in 2017 and was Reader in Residence for the 2016 Harrogate International Crime Writing Festival.