The Clearing: An Eminent Criminologist Investigates Decades of Missing Women in the Ancient Forest of Dean (Laughton Rees, 2)

The Clearing: An Eminent Criminologist Investigates Decades of Missing Women in the Ancient Forest of Dean (Laughton Rees, 2)

In this gripping suspense novel from the bestselling author of the Sanctus trilogy, lead forensic expert Laughton Rees is back, this time investigating a series of missing women in a small town near the Forest of Dean—where she uncovers a dark and sinister plot, decades in the making. Never go back into the woods. Never go back and never look back… Midsummer’s Eve. Bonfires dot the English countryside and flicker in the ancient Forest of Dean as costumed revelers dance and drink the night away. But when the sun rises, a local girl, Maddie Friar, has vanished, last seen heading to a party in a forest commune called “The Clearing.” Her sister Adele reports her missing but the local police say Maddie was a known party girl and probably ran off with some boy, or maybe the “Cinderman” got her, referring to a local legend of a forest spirit said to haunt the woods in search of a lost daughter. Eminent criminologist and academic Dr. Laughton Rees also knows about the Cinderman. She has found dozens of historical missing persons cases in these woods, all women, all attributed to this legend. But she doesn’t believe in legends; she believes in facts, so she heads to the forest and, with help from Adele, starts questioning everyone, from the mysterious Earl, lord of the crumbling abbey in the heart of the forest, to the charismatic leader of The Clearing. But as Laughton slowly begins to unravel the legend of the Cinderman and realizes it is bound by blood to Adele and Maddies’ dark past, she also discovers too late that the truth is far uglier, and far more dangerous, than any mythical monster. "Beginning with a creepy abduction that unnerved me to my core,  The Clearing  follows an unsettling case where old myths and new greed collide. A welcome return for Laughton Rees and DCI Tannahill, getting to know them again as they reach the next stage of their budding relationship" - Sam Hollan, author of The Echo Man on The Clearing "Nail-biting and as haunting as the forest itself" - Daily Mail (UK) on The Clearing “An edgy psychological thriller that makes excellent use of its police procedural foundation....Toyne pulls out all the stops for a deliciously creepy, believable story that makes sharp turns with realistic characters.... Toyne’s plotting—and delving deep into the psychological aspects—make  Dark Objects  shine.” - Florida Sun-Sentinel "Toyne’s second mystery featuring criminologist Laughton Rees (after 2022’s  Dark Objects ) further establishes the character as an effective series lead in the spirit of Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta....Toyne makes the most of her creepy setting, and effectively conceals the truth behind the legend of the Cinderman until she’s ready to reveal it. Everything here suggests that Rees merits a long series run." - Publishers Weekly on The Clearing “Gripping . . . . demonstrates the damage caused by a real-life monster, one that is much worse than any legend.” - Novels Alive on The Clearing “This race-against-the-clock thriller… is wonderfully plotted with strong characters, but what stands out most is the way the police ignore Adele’s pleas because she and her sister (who has a history of drug possession) are among the easy-to-dismiss poor and unconnected. A well-crafted shocker.”  - Booklist (starred review) on The Clearing Simon Toyne is one of the best storytellers writing today, but even by his high standards,  The Clearing  is something really special …The pacing is frantic but not rushed, the tension is almost unbearable, and the ending is genuinely one of the most jaw-dropping ones I’ve read in a long time. Absolutely superb. - M.W. Craven on The Clearing "Scared the bloody daylights out of me. The very definition of haunting. Toyne is a guru of suspense writing, and this is him at the top of his craft. Makes for a breath-taking read" - Helen Fields, author of The Institution on The Clearing “When you read  Sanctus , you’ll see just how frightening, ruthless and relentlessly entertaining an order of monks can be. Haunting in the best way.” - Brad Meltzer "Top-shelf writers aren’t made—they’re born, and you can tell in two pages when you’ve found one. Simon Toyne has got the gift, and  The Searcher  proves it—his imagery, his language, and the cool mystery surrounding Solomon Creed and where he’s going. I think you’ll love this one.” - Greg Iles “Brains beat brawn in this engrossing yarn, and a mind without a memory makes Toyne’s hero a hard character to—well, to forget.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review) on The Boy Who Saw "How do you create suspense?... That’s the defining strategy of  The Searcher , as Simon Toyne holds information tantalizingly out of reach over the course of his wild, mysterious novel… Toyne grabs our attention, and he keeps it… The book moves so swiftly in part because it’s told roughly in the span of a day…the stakes escalating while mysteries pile on top of mysteries… I read it in a two-day fever.” - New York Times Book Review “Not a