‘A powerful, thought-provoking story. . . a vital read for any crime fan’ **Kate Rhodes on *Life Ruins*** **When everyone hides the truth, who do you turn to?** Becca’s had a hard time of it, but she has finally got her life together. She has a nice little flat, a steady job pulling pints, and she’s even seeing someone new: Andy, who keeps his private life to himself but is always good for a laugh. And then Andy vanishes. When his body turns up on isolated Sunk Island, Becca learns Andy wasn’t just another punter. He was a police officer, deep undercover, investigating a drugs ring that he believed operated out of Becca’s pub. Staggered by the betrayal, Becca turns to the only person she thinks she can trust: her foster mum, Kay. But Kay has problems of her own. She’s just moved into a short-term let in the hopes of finding some peace and quiet. But peace and quiet are hard to come by on Sunk Island . . . Before long, both women are drawn into a terrifying world of drugs, money and death. **The gripping new novel from Dagger-Award-winning author Danuta Kot, perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, Tana French and Denise Mina – a story about the people we are… and the people we aren’t.** **Readers love Danuta Kot . . .** *’Life Ruins* has all the elements I love in a novel – **complex characters, an insidious underlying menace, and haunting landscapes**. This dark story **will suck you in from the first page** ‘ Stephen Booth, author of *Fall Down Dead* ‘ **Explores real issues** , from the perspective of real, damaged people, and told with a real warmth and understanding. **Danuta Kot raises the bar for all crime writers** ‘ Michael Jecks, author of *Pilgrim’s War*