THE CHALK MAN an absolutely gripping crime mystery with a massive twist

Adam was born and raised in Sussex. He has been a police officer for twenty years both in the UK and in New Zealand, working across a range of disciplines including uniformed ops, firearms command and as a detective in CID and specialist investigations. He went around the world a couple of times, living in New Zealand for a year before realising home was where all the stories were. Adam writes gritty, Eastbourne-based police-procedurals with hard-edged authenticity, forming a daisy chain along the south coast alongside the likes of Graham Hurley and Peter James. He has been married for twenty years and has four children. His ambition, as his children keep reminding him, is to own a dog.

MEET DETECTIVE RUTHERFORD BARNES IN THIS BRILLIANT BRITISH CRIME SERIES FROM A SERVING POLICE OFFICER, PACKED FULL OF TWISTS.Barnes finally has the family he always longed for. But someone is coming for them . . .Detective Barnes crouches down by the body near the seafront. Male, mid-twenties. The face is blue-white, mouth stretched open in a silent yawn.Suddenly his eye is caught by an abrupt movement. A woman has fallen over on the pavement opposite. 'Looks like someone's feeling crook,' says Howlett, his detective constable.Then Barnes sees another person collapse nearby. A young man, fit. He hasn't tripped. His body starts to convulse on the ground.As panic spreads through the crowd, Barnes's mobile rings. It's Tamsin, his normally unflappable partner.'Barnes . . .' She sounds frantic. 'It's . . . it's Maggie.'Barnes goes cold. 'What about her?''She was supposed to be at rugby practice. But she never showed up. She's . . . she's missing.'His stepdaughter is missing - and Barnes has a very bad feeling about who might be responsible . . .Perfect for fans of Joy Ellis, Helen H. Durrant, Peter James, Angela Marsons, Rachel McLean, J.D. Kirk or J.M. Dalgliesh.