The Drowned Girl

The Drowned Girl

By David Mark
A dark and twisty crime thriller set in the Cumbrian lakes
Genre
Crime
Publication Date
2nd June, 2026
Series
A Moses Crow Thriller:
Book 1
of 03
About the Book

‘One of crime fiction’s most distinctive voices’ Chris Ewan
‘Exhilarating and inventive… a wonderfully descriptive writer’ Peter James

She went into the water. She isn’t coming back.

A woman vanishes from a remote lake in Cumbria. All that’s left behind are her abandoned clothes, a ringing phone, and a stretch of dark water that won’t give her back.

Moses Crow knows this place. He grew up here. Before prison, before he became the man people crossed the street to avoid. He hasn’t been back in thirty years, but the drowning has stirred up old rumours about a girl who went missing in the caves long ago, and the family who raised him want him home – to keep the police at arm’s length, and the past where it belongs.

Moses knows that out here by the wild tarns, the past doesn’t get buried… it drowns. But now the lake is giving up its dead. And his family’s secrets will not be far behind.

Atmospheric, morally complex and impossible to put down, The Drowned Girl is a psychological crime thriller set against the wild landscapes of northern England, perfect for readers of Stuart Macbride, Matt Brolly and JM Dalgliesh.

Reviews for David Mark’s thrillers:
‘One of crime fiction’s most distinctive voices’ Chris Ewan
‘David Mark is up there with the best’ Mari Hannah
‘Dark, compelling crime writing of the highest order’ Daily Mail
‘Gripping story lines steeped in emotion and menace’ Mel Sherratt
‘Exhilarating and inventive. Mark is a wonderfully descriptive writer’ Peter James
‘Compelling and harrowing’ Daily Express
‘More twists and turns than a corkscrew through the eyeball’ Val McDermid

About the Author

David Mark is a Sunday Times bestselling author and former crime reporter. His experiences as a journalist in Hull inspired the acclaimed DS Aector McAvoy series, spanning 17 novels, and currently in development for TV.

Championed by greats like Val McDermid and Mick Herron, Mark’s backlist includes historical fiction like The Zealot’s Bones and psychological works. His raw memoir, Piece of Mind, explores his battle with addiction and mental illness. A Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund and Radio 4 dramatist, Mark now lives in rural Northumberland with his daughter.

Other Formats Available

Available Formats

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