Six children were taken. Only five came home. The newspapers called it The Bad Place . A remote farm out on the Thames estuary, where six children were held captive for two weeks. Five of them got out alive. That was twenty years ago. Now adults, they meet up annually to hold a vigil for their friend who died. The only rule is that no-one can talk about what happened the night they escaped.

But at this year's event, one of them witnesses a kidnapping. A young girl, Sammi, is bundled into a van in front of their eyes. DI Sasha Dawson, of Essex Police, is certain that the key to finding Sammi lies in finding out the truth about The Bad Place. But she also knows that with every second she spends trying to unlock the past, the clock ticks down for the missing girl. Is history repeating itself? Is one of the five responsible? Or is someone sending them a twisted message? A Times Crime Book of the Month Praise for The Bad Place : 'Everything a police procedural should be: sharp, funny, moving and tremendously exciting' The Times 'Absorbing and twisty' Mark Edwards 'Dark, gripping and fast paced, The Bad Place grabs a hold and won't let you go. Addictive summer reading' Katerina Diamond 'Superb, smart, seat-edge stuff. DI Sasha Dawson is a brilliant creation' William Shaw 'Utterly compelling and brilliantly realistic, The Bad Place is Mark's best book yet. One that will appeal to crime fans everywhere' Lisa Hall.