The Girl in the Loch

A mother calls for her child repeatedly in the soft summer air, her voice rising with panic. She runs across the decking to lean over the thick glass balustrade, her eyes searching the dark waters of the loch. Her only child is missing, and nothing will ever be the same again.

The disappearance of a three-year-old girl from her isolated Highland home one summer shook the nation. A massive police search involving divers in the loch and dogs combing the moorland and mountains had failed to find Lily Masterton.

Three years later, the world may have forgotten the blond-haired girl with the big blue eyes, but her grief-stricken parents hire Private Investigator Teàrlach Paterson — an expert in finding missing children — to bring their precious Lily home.

But this is no ordinary family struck by tragedy. Teàrlach has heard the whispered rumours that Tony Masterton is a dangerous man. Lily’s nanny was fired and has vanished into thin air. And then a body is found at the local landmark Hell’s Glen.

As Teàrlach pieces together the secrets at the heart of the Masterton family, tiny bones are found in the loch close to the Mastertons' home. Could they be Lily’s? Or will Teàrlach unravel a truth even more shocking?

A twisty, atmospheric and utterly compelling page-turner set within the breathtaking Highland landscape. Fans of LJ Ross, Ann Cleeves, and Val McDermid will be hooked by The Girl in the Loch.

Endorsements

CWA New Blood Dagger Longlist.

McIlvanney Best Scottish Crime Novel Finalist.