Don't miss the latest book in the Arkady Renko series, THE SIBERIAN DILEMMA by Martin Cruz Smith, ‘the master of the international thriller’ (New York Times) – available to order now!

'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid

'Makes tension rise through the page like a shark's fin’ Independent

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Not all secrets can stay buried.

It's 1872 and mining engineer John Blair wants nothing more than to return to Africa. So when his commissioner asks him to investigate a disappearance in the English coal mining town of Wigan, he jumps on the opportunity in the hopes that a successful undertaking will help fund his next trip.

But in a town where the very rich and the very poor live and work side by side, Blair's presence is mistrusted by many. And when he falls in love with Rose, a beautiful 'pit girl', things start to turn deadly. In a place where life is brutish, short and covered in coal dust, Blair must solve a mystery that will force him to confront his own heart of darkness . . .

Praise for Martin Cruz Smith

'The story drips with atmosphere and authenticity – a literary triumph' David Young, bestselling author of Stasi Child

'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid

‘Cleverly and intelligently told, The Girl from Venice is a truly riveting tale of love, mystery and rampant danger. I loved it’ Kate Furnivall, author of The Liberation

‘Smith not only constructs grittily realistic plots, he also has a gift for characterisation of which most thriller writers can only dream' Mail on Sunday

'Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary' Guardian

'Brilliantly worked, marvellously written . . . an imaginative triumph' Sunday Times

‘Martin Cruz Smith’s Renko novels are superb’ William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier