by Rhodes, Kate | Crime & mystery Published 25/09/2025 by Orenda Books in the United Kingdom as part of The Isles of Scilly Mysteries series Paperback | 300 pages129 x 198 x 22mm | 218gWhen Ben Kitto discovers the body of a young woman, buried near the ruins of an old isolation hospital on the island of St Helen's, he is convinced the killer is hiding in plain sight … and determined to take more lives. The breathtaking, gripping new instalment in the Isles of Scilly Mysteries series…‘A classy, edge-of-the-seat thriller which will keep you guessing throughout!’ B.A. PARIS‘An absolute master of pace, plotting and character’ ELLY GRIFFITHS‘Rhodes does a superb job of balancing a portrayal of a tiny community oppressed by secrets with an uplifting evocation of setting’ Sunday Express ‘No one produces more elegantly written work than Rhodes … and this eighth instalment in her Isles of Scilly Mysteries series has the same acute sense of place as any of its predecessors, with Kitto as richly characterised a protagonist as ever' Financial Times–––DI BEN KITTO RETURNS…A SACRED ISLANDWinter storms lash the Isles of Scilly, when DI Ben Kitto ferries the islands’ priest to St Helen’s. Father Michael intends to live as a pilgrim in the ruins of an ancient church on the uninhabited island, but an ugly secret is buried among the rocks. Digging frantically in the sand, Ben’s dog, Shadow, unearths the emaciated remains of a young woman.A SHOCKING MURDERThe discovery chills Ben to the core. The victim is Vietnamese, with no clear link to the community – and her killer has made sure that no one will find her easily.A KILLER ON THE LOOSEThe storm intensifies as the investigation gathers pace. Soon Scilly is cut off by bad weather, with no help available from the mainland. Ben is certain the killer is hiding in plain sight. He knows they are waiting to kill again – and at unimaginable cost.‘Dark, intense, and expertly crafted’ RACHEL ABBOTT‘An atmospheric and moving depiction of a tightly knit community in a rugged and often dangerous landscape, Deadman’s Pool is tense and deftly plotted, the pathos fuelling true suspense' GuardianPraise for Kate Rhodes‘Kate Rhodes directs her cast of suspects with consummate skill, keeping us guessing right to the heartbreaking end’ LOUISE CANDLISH‘A vividly realised protagonist whose complex and harrowing history rivals the central crime storyline’ SOPHIE HANNAH‘Expertly weaves a sense of place and character into a tense and intriguing story’ METRO‘Rhodes does a superb job of balancing a portrayal of a tiny community oppressed by secrets with an uplifting evocation of setting’ Sunday Express‘The whole book tingles with tension. I hope it does for the Scilly Isles what Ann Cleeves did for Shetland' MEL MCGRATH‘Evocative, immersive, twisty’ SARAH VAUGHAN‘Gripping, clever and impossible to put down' ERIN KELLY‘Beautifully written and expertly plotted, this is a masterclass’ Guardian‘A twenty-first century Agatha Christie' JULIA CROUCH‘Chillingly compelling and expertly assembled’ B. P. WALTER‘Terrifying and tense, as unpredictable as it is compelling' LESLEY KARA‘Kate Rhodes is approaching pole position in the crime writing stakes with her beautifully plotted and elegantly written thrillers’ Financial Times‘Terrifying’ Crime Monthly'Tense and properly chilling’ Fabulous Magazine‘Clever, atmospheric and compelling’ Woman’s Weekly
