BEACHY HEAD (Detective Rutherford Barnes Mysteries Book 2)

MEET DETECTIVE RUTHERFORD BARNES IN THIS BRILLIANT NEW CRIME SERIES FROM A SERVING POLICE OFFICER.

Discover an absolutely gripping crime thriller with a massive twist.

Just before midnight. Mandy is woken by a frantic knocking at the door. It’s her ex-husband. Drunk. Again. At that moment, James, her new partner returns home from work. Mandy hears raised voices. Then a dull, smacking sound. Followed by a sickening crunch . . .

DC Barnes is back on the job after an eighteen-month suspension. He’s offered a case no one else wants — and he’s in no position to refuse. A one-punch homicide. The suspect, Mandy’s new partner James, is an honest, upright citizen. A firefighter. A pillar of the community. The victim, Mandy’s ex, was an aggressive alcoholic.

James’s acquittal is a sure thing. No jury will convict him.

So why does James suddenly abscond from court before the jury reach their verdict?

The following day a body is found at the foot of Beachy Head. The injuries sustained reveal this was no suicide.

And Barnes’s no-win case has become something deeper and darker than anyone could have imagined.

Perfect for fans of Joy Ellis, Helen H. Durrant, Bill Kitson, Michael Hambling, Peter James, Angela Marsons, Rachel McLean, J.D. Kirk, Rachel Abbott, Elly Griffiths, J.M. Dalgliesh or Patricia Gibney.

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ADAM LYNDON:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Packed full of unexpected twists and turns.” Sheila M.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Pulled me in and held me to the end.” Dawn T.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Cracking good police story. Complex and twisty.” Joan

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Very good and gripping.” Kay C.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Some really convoluted twists and turns. I loved it.” Rob

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Excellent sense of place, strong characterisation . . . authentic and detailed police procedure, and a thrilling denouement” Oliver T.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A real page-turner. I thoroughly enjoyed it.” Mike B.

THE DETECTIVE
DC Rutherford Barnes is young, goodlooking and ambitious — perhaps too ambitious for his own good. His all-consuming desire for promotion makes him vulnerable to temptation. His happy marriage to nursery school teacher Eve is marred only by the couple’s inability to conceive, leading Barnes to throw himself headlong into his work.

THE SETTING
Set against the picturesque landscape of the South Downs, the Sussex seaside town of Eastbourne is packed with tourists during the summer — but it can seem pretty dismal during the winter months. Only fifty-odd miles from London, the town is not immune to the violence which occasionally spills over from the city. Pockets of deprivation and criminality exist alongside reminders of Eastbourne’s more genteel past in the grand Victorian hotels that line the seafront, the pier and the bandstand. The town also boasts one of Britain’s best-known — and most infamous — beauty spots, Beachy Head.

THE AUTHOR
Adam Lyndon has been a serving UK police officer for more than twenty years, working across a range of disciplines including uniformed ops, firearms command and as a detective in CID and specialist investigations.

ALSO BY ADAM LYNDON
DETECTIVE RUTHERFORD BARNES MYSTERIES
Book 1: DEVIL’S CHIMNEY
Book 2: BEACHY HEAD