Land Rites

Written by Andy Maslen

Narrated by Steve West

A country manor. Two murders. Multiple suspects. Can DI Ford solve the case before his own dark past is exposed?

After a dog walker discovers human remains in a badger sett in the idyllic Salisbury countryside, DI Ford is called in to lead the ensuing murder investigation. When a second victim turns up in a nearby pond, Ford is determined to find the connection.

Both victims met their fate near the sprawling Alverchalke Estate, ancestral home of a decorated war hero and his family. One was a dogged eco-activist and vocal critic of Lord Baverstock. The other was a petty criminal and poacher, youngest brother of a notorious local crime family. Certain that there’s more to this case than trespassing, Ford and Dr Hannah Fellowes race to find the hidden link. But when one victim’s family threatens to expose Ford’s own dark secret, the ticking clock becomes a time bomb.

Still consumed by guilt over his part in his wife’s tragic accident and struggling to raise the teenage son he lied to, Ford now finds himself losing control of the investigation. Can he work with Hannah to solve the case while privately fighting off the attempted blackmail? Or have his demons finally caught up with him?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Apr 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9781713570752

Andy Maslen

Andy Maslen was born in Nottingham, England. After leaving university with a degree in psychology, he worked in business for thirty years as a copywriter. In his spare time, he plays blues guitar. He lives in Wiltshire.

Reviews for Land Rites

[vesper1931 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While out walking, Polly Evans' dog discovers the remains of a body in a badger sett, on private lands. D.I. Henry Ford is called out to investigate. Is the body that of Tommy Boltor, from a local criminal family. He is soon identified as such.
Meanwhile Ruth Long reports her husband ex-vicar Owen , 70, missing after five days to D.C. Wallace.
Ford and his team must unravel the mysteries.
An enjoyable and well-written crime story with its cast of varied characters. A book that can easily be read as a standalone story.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[jetangen4571 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

murder, murder-investigation, family-dynamics, friendship, law-enforcement, gangsters, British-detective, thriller, suspense*****Works well as a stand alone despite some tricky interpersonal issues both within the department and at home. The publisher's blurb is a nice hook, but the due diligence is impressive and the characters are only too realistic. That's especially true of DI Ford who seems to have a bad case of survivor's guilt and his Deputy Chief forensics officer, Dr. Hannah Fellowes (who is really minutiae oriented and hyperintelligent) and and his team. The blues are being threatened by the crime family of the dismembered victim as well as the usual problems. Great read!I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Amazon Publishing UK/Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley. Thank you!