In the dim morning light, Orkney’s Skaill Bay is the backdrop for a calamity of nature’s making. When forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod joins the rescue efforts as a volunteer, she uncovers more than she bargained for: a human skeleton entombed in a stone crypt.
The grave is believed to hail from the Viking Age, but Rhona's analysis of the content points to more recent and sinister evil. And a shadow is thrown over the investigation when the skeleton is finally identified, as unsettling connections between the victim and the very people trying to solve the case come to light.
As forensic clues lead Rhona to a second, horrifying discovery, the question looms: how many more secrets does the sand conceal?
The Dead and the Dying is the latest pulse-pounding instalment in the Rhona MacLeod series.
*****
Praise for Lin Anderson:
'I absolutely love Lin's writing style - atmospheric, descriptive, engrossing' - reader review
'Lin Anderson is one of Scotland’s national treasures . . . her writing is unique, bringing warmth and depth to even the seediest parts of Glasgow' - Stuart MacBride, author of the Logan McRae series
'Tense, gritty and packed with twists and turns . . . A really authentic sense of the darker side of life on the streets of Glasgow' - reader review
'One of the best Scottish crime series since Rebus' - Daily Record
'I am in awe of the way in which Anderson keeps all of the plot threads in hand while expertly weaving in connections and tying up loose threads' - reader review