Charlie Crabtree, a troubled teenager, committed a horrific and gratuitous murder 25 years ago. Paul Adams will never forget that day. Charlie's victims - and Charlie himself - were his friends. He never forgave himself that he had a role in what happened, and he hasn't been home since.

But when his elderly mother suffers a serious accident, Paul has to give up running away.

Depressing events soon follow one another. A copycat murder brings back torturous memories. The dying mother insists that something is hidden in the old house. Plus, someone is following Paul, forcing him to remember what was most frightening about that terrible day 25 years ago.

Not only the crime, but also the fact that Charlie Crabtree disappeared after the murder...

Alex was born in North Leeds and still lives there with his wife and son. He studied philosophy at the University of Leeds, where he worked in the sociology department before turning to writing. His novel The Whisperer, which has been translated into more than thirty languages, was on the Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller lists.