Martyn Waites - The Sinner

Praise for

Waites brings all his storytelling talent and experience to this chilling tale. Superb

LEE CHILD

Waites is one of the very best crime writers we have, simple as that. Id been looking forward to this for a long time and, boy, it was worth waiting for. I dont know if I devoured IT or IT devoured ME ...

MARK BILLINGHAM

Martyn has written another raw, deftly-plotted thriller with a dark heart and a real emotional punch

SIMON KERNICK

Authentically spooky, thrillingly atmospheric and unnervingly relevant. The Wicker Man for the Brexit era

CHRIS BROOKMYRE

Reading Martyn Waites is a guaranteed thrill-ride. His characters sing off the page, his plots keep you guessing until the end, and I always read his books in a day

SARAH PINBOROUGH

A joyous new series with an adorable hero. Waites has come thundering back with all his talent intact

ALEX MARWOOD

A chilling slice of country noir. Great stuff

MICK HERRON

One of those books you start reading and feel it envelop you like a second skin, meaning you cant put it down. Deliciously creepy. I loved it. Every word. Superbly written, creepy as hell, and chilling to the bone. I cant recommend it highly enough!

LUCA VESTE

A superbly atmospheric book full of menace and secrets

TOM WOOD

Martyn Waites at his dark and chilling best

EVA DOLAN

Martyn Waites is already crime fiction royalty. Tom Killgannon is one of the best new characters in modern fiction

STEVE CAVANAGH

An excellently woven crime novel, with a captivating setting and a brilliant lead character, from master storyteller Martyn Waites

RAGNAR JONASSON

A compulsive and creepy crime novel, brilliantly atmospheric and original. Its one of those books you keep saying to yourself just one more chapter and then realise youve been up all night. One of the best books Ive read this year

STAV SHEREZ

Deeply unsettling and hauntingly realistic

SUSI HOLLIDAY

This is a great read dark and disturbing, a novel thats gripping from the first page to its incredibly satisfying climax

KEVIN WIGNALL, AUTHOR OF A DEATH IN SWEDEN

Crime noir at its finest. Gritty, claustrophobically tense and deeply emotive unputdownable!

STEPH BROADRIBB, AUTHOR OF DEEP BLUE TROUBLE

Dark and twisting

A. K. BENEDICT, AUTHOR OF THE EVIDENCE OF GHOSTS

A twisting, atmospheric, scary tale that introduces a terrific new character in troubled Tom Killgannon

ANYA LIPSKA, AUTHOR OF THE KISZKA & KERSHAW SERIES

Contents

To Chrissie and Beth, always

GHOSTED

Manchester, May 2014

A night far enough in the past for stories to be told. But recent enough for those stories to matter.

An old industrial estate and lorry park in the badlands of Stretford. The buildings mostly empty and vandalised, the tarmac potholed, refilled with debris, broken glass and excrement, canine for the most part. The remaining lights stretched so far apart they looked stranded. The kind of place no one went to voluntarily. It was perfect.

Dean Foley sat in the passenger seat of the BMW X5. Its gleaming, black carapace stood out against its surroundings, as inconspicuous as an intellectual at a UKIP meeting.

Foley turned to the man in the drivers seat. Whats the time now?

The driver checked his watch, tried not to look irritated. Just gone ten to ten. Theyll be here. Dont worry.

Yeah, said Foley. I know they will, I know they will.

The tension in the car was palpable.

Foley looked like a bouncer on Love Island. Short and stocky, he wore expensive clothes that were all label and no style, his hair well-coiffed, teeth the colour of Egyptian cotton, skin the colour of mahogany. His muscle showed he could handle himself and he had a lightness of step that surprised many. He also had a charismatic, salesmans smile that made you feel like you were an instant friend for life. But that smile could turn on a breath, become so fierce and snarling it would be the last thing youd want to see. And for quite a few it had been.

Foley sighed. Tried not to pretend he was nervous. You know, he said, resisting the urge to check his own watch again, I dont know why we bother with all this cloak and dagger shit. Meetings in the dark in shitholes like this. We should just do it in broad daylight. Get it over with. No ones bothered anymore.

You think? said the driver.

Yeah, said Foley, warming to his theme. I mean, protection Ive got, the amount of people on my payroll, I could walk into a pub on Deansgate if they hadnt all been turned into fucking wine bars or craft beer places or some shit pull out a gun and kill someone. Right then and there. Bang. In front of thirty witnesses. And you know what? Id get away with it. Thats how untouchable I am. Thats why all this is just bollocks.

Yeah, said the driver, thats what the Krays said. Look what happened to them. And that was before CCTV.

Foley turned to him, his smile a vicious slash in the streetlight. He snorted. Youre a bundle of laughs tonight, arent you?

The driver stared straight ahead. Why would you want to murder someone in a pub on Deansgate?

I wouldnt unless they were asking for it, would I? said Foley, Then Id have to. Because thats what it is. You cross me, thats what you get.

If theyve crossed you they wouldnt hang around drinking on Deansgate.

Then Id track them down, wouldnt I? Get revenge. They wouldnt get far.

You know what they say about revenge, said the driver, you go looking for it youd better dig two graves.

Foley stared at him. Then threw back his head and laughed. Brilliant. Just brilliant. Mick, mate, if I go looking for revenge, Ill need a damned sight more than two.

Mick lapsed back into silence. Foley fidgeted, flicked looks like lit matches all round the lorry park. His gaze came to rest on Mick once more.

Why are you so miserable tonight, anyway? asked Foley. Its like watching Man U when Moyes was in charge.

Mick sighed. More from professional exasperation than boredom. Just want everything to go right. Thats all.

Everythings cool, said Foley, knee bouncing up and down. Itll go down fine. Why wouldnt it?

Silence once more. Both resisted the urge to check the time.

Hey, said Foley, eventually, Just think if my old man could see me now ... He shook his head at the thought.

Sitting in some shitty lorry park in Stretford? Hed love that.

No, you prick, if he could see what Ive done, you know, built. Achieved. One of the most successful businessmen in the North West. If not the country. Respected. And Ive done it all myself, havent I?

Mick nodded. You have, Dean.

Yeah. I have. If he could see what Ive achieved ...

Hed still be a miserable bastard.

Foley stared at Mick, the smile falling sharply away. Eyes as hard as stone. No one talks ill of Foleys father, everyone knew that. Foley might have hated him but that didnt give anyone else the right to join in. He was still Foleys father.