Our darkest secrets are best left buried...

When a local journalist is found dead in an isolated spot on Roydon Common, lying beneath a hangman's noose on the anniversary of a teenager's suicide, DI Tom Janssen is asked to take on the investigation as a favour to local colleagues and must unpick the deceased man's life to discover how he came to be there.

The dead man was working on something, a story he was keeping close to his chest and even those closest to him, loved ones and colleagues, were kept in the dark. He had his own secrets, a side to his character that he rarely showed to others unless they were unlucky. But what did he know that was so damaging as to be worth killing for?

As the team delve into his life, past and present, the investigation pulls in successful businesspeople, grieving family members and a local celebrity, all with fascinating stories to tell. As the investigation develops it becomes clear that more than one person is harbouring a secret... but are they secrets that are worth a man's life? As past sins threaten to be exposed, will someone be forced into killing again?

Set within the mysterious beauty of coastal Norfolk, this fast-paced British detective novel is a dark murder mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end when the final shocking twist is revealed.

A Dark Sin is the eighth novel in the Hidden Norfolk series of thrillers from the million-copy selling British crime writer, JM Dalgliesh, the author of the Dark Yorkshire books. Perfect for fans of LJ Ross, JD Kirk, Angela Marsons, Alex Smith and Damien Boyd.

© J M Dalgliesh 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2026