Sarah Hilary: The cutting stone, Vintage, coming April 2027

Thanks to an electronic early proof,  I was able to read the second book in the DS Joe Ash series, The Drowning Place was an unusual, great mystery. Set in the Peak District, DS Joe Ash is the only survivor of a terrible bus accident which haunts him to this day.  What Sarah Hilary pulls off brilliantly in what could have been tricky is that DS Ash still sees and talks to the ghost of his best friend Sammy. He and his boss Laurie Bower are called to investigate the murder of Godfrey Hume who treated Laurie's sister as a counselor for her addiction.  I found the second book much darker and the trail of suspects sometimes confusing but this is a very original series with a great emphasis on psychological aspects.