The Postmaster looked over my shoulder. As I turned to look I saw a flicker of movement from across the street. I felt unseen eyes peer at me. He walked away without another word. I watched as he climbed onto his bicycle and sped away down the street. I turned back and looked over my shoulder. Someone had been watching us. 1904. Thomas Bexley, one of the first forensic photographers, is called to the sleepy and remote Welsh village of Dinas Powys, several miles down the coast from the thriving port of Cardiff. A young girl by the name of Betsan Tilny has been found murdered in the woodland - her body bound and horribly burnt. But the crime scene appears to have been staged, and worse still: the locals are reluctant to help. As the strange case unfolds, Thomas senses a growing presence watching him, and try as he may, the villagers seem intent on keeping their secret. Then one night, in the grip of a fever, he develops the photographic plates from the crime scene in a makeshift darkroom in the cellar of his lodgings. There, he finds a face dimly visible in the photographs; a face hovering around the body of the dead girl - the face of Betsan Tilny.

'Gothic, claustrophobic, and wonderfully dark' GUARDIAN on Sam Hurcom's Thomas Bexley novels... The next stifling, atmospheric gothic crime novel following one of the world's first forensic photographers - for fans of The Woman in Black, The Silent Companions and Little Strangers. * * * * * * * * 1905. A year after 'the affair' in Dinas Powys, Thomas Bexley has become a drunkard and recluse, haunted by terrible visions of the dead. But when news of a spate of extraordinary kidnappings reaches him, Thomas is shocked to learn that his dear friend and former mentor, Professor Elijah Hawthorn, is the lead suspect. Discovering a plea for help from Hawthorn claiming to have unearthed a gruesome conspiracy at the heart of the Metropolitan Police, Thomas embarks on a journey to prove Hawthorn's innocence. But wherever Thomas goes, he is followed by the dead, and as the mystery of Hawthorn's disappearance deepens, so too does Thomas's apparent insanity... How can Thomas be certain of the truth when he can't trust anybody around him, not even himself...? * * * * * * * * Praise for Sam Hurcom: 'An intriguing debut' THE TIMES 'A promising debut - gothic, claustrophobic and wonderfully dark' GUARDIAN 'A sparkling debut from a name to watch...You might as well be in another world. This is top notch historical crime fiction, with a dash of the supernatural. A gorgeous book and a riveting tale' David Young

The stifling, atmospheric, gothic crime novel with a unique protagonist and killer twist, perfect for fans of The Woman in Black, The Silent Companions, and Little Strangers **************** 1904. Thomas Bexley, one of the first forensic photographers, is called to the sleepy Welsh village of Dinas Powys. A yound girl named Betsan Tilny has been found murdered in the woodland. One night, he develops the crime scene photographs in the cellar of his lodgings. There, he finds a face dimly visible in the photographs - the shadowed spectre of Betsan Tilny. In the days that follow, Thomas senses a growing presence watching him as he tries to uncover what the villagers of Dinas Powys are so intent on keeping secret... **************** 'Gothic, claustrophobic and wonderfully dark' - GUARDIAN 'Top notch historical crime fiction, with a dash of the supernatural. A gorgeous book and a riveting tale' - DAVID YOUNG 'An intriguing debut' - THE TIMES