DARK SKY is a YA/NA novel, a new addition to the tartan noir genre, set in Lochinver in the North-West Highlands of Scotland.
In January 2013 the area adjacent to Loch Assynt in Sutherland was designated a Dark Sky Discovery Site. Low levels of light pollution, a clean atmosphere and an absence of trees or buildings to obstruct the view combined to make this corner of Scotland ideal for observing the night sky.
They also made it a perfect place to get away with murder.
21-year-old MATT is under pressure. Two of his pals owe a local drug supplier more than £5,000. SLIPPY doesn't do sale or return so Matt agrees to drive the pair to Inverness on a trading mission. But now there's a Polish girl in hospital suffering from a suspected drugs overdose. So when the police turn up at his home Matt does a runner.
But within hours, while lying low in an Ullapool bar, he sees a face he recognises on TV. 16-year-old CADDY NEILSON has been found strangled in the back of the school bus.
The police are quickly able to identify the murderer and establish a motive for the crime. However, with the killer still at large Matt and Caddy's best friend, AMY METCALF, become increasingly concerned the circumstances surrounding the young girl's death are not as clear-cut as everyone thinks.
When they finally uncover evidence that Caddy had become embroiled in a major crime Matt and Amy face a race against time that not only jeopardises their growing relationship but also puts their own lives at risk.
