The Stolen Dead

by M.J. White

A victim stabbed through the heart sets off a deadly chain of events that will plunge Cora into her most personal case yet.

The first victim was found on a shingled Suffolk beach, his life extinguished by a single stab through the heart, a pile of pebbles, seaweed and sand carefully arranged onto his body. When DS Rob Minshull and Dr Cora Lael stumble across the body while out on a run, South Suffolk CID are quickly thrown into a perplexing murder case.

Then another victim is found on another beach, the body and objects around it carefully posed. As the media whips up a frenzy for the killer dubbed 'The Beachcomber', the pressure is on for South Suffolk CID to find the murderer, fast.

Cora's ability to sense psychic echoes from found objects might bring some answers. But what is the significance of the voice whispering 'mine'? And when Cora hears that same voice in objects close to home, can she really trust the people around her?

With a fractured police squad, a terrified community and too many theories to the killer's identity, can The Beachcomber be stopped before more lives are lost?

A heart-stopping detective novel that fans of Cara Hunter, LJ Ross and Kate Ellis will love.

Readers can't get enough of the Cora Lael

'Fast paced, cleverly thought out and gripping to the very end, if you want a police procedural crime read with that added something extra, then I would definitely recommend this!' Reader Review

'Gripping from the first page to the lastThis is a brilliant book!!' Reader Review

'Suspense, intrigue, great police work and a great storyline! It definitely had my heart pumping!' Reader Review

'Truly could not put this down so many twists and turns Great characters who are also believable.' Reader Review

387 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 6, 2025

Reviews

[Barbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book 6 in the series and although I haven't read any of the previous books, I didn't feel like I missed anything. The characters were interesting with the main character being able to hear voices from objects. I will have to go back and read the rest of the series.

Thanks for the ARC Netgalley!

[Roroblu'sMum · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* Interesting premise; interesting female lead; but a boring male lead, and a toxic female who hates other females, and gives women a bad name. Could she really exist in 2025 UK without someone whistle-blowing? Hmm.

This is very readable because of Cora's gift. The way she comes across the body with Boring Minshull is believable. I liked how she didn't feel the need to flex and show her girl bollocks, as her skills had enough others standing up for her. Minshull, in contrast, was slow to act, both professionally and personally, and tbh, I didn't see, read or believe any hint of a romance between them.

I felt that had he had an open mind, and not been prejudiced against a certain side character who'd brought their concerns to him - that turned out to be accurate - some of the murders might not have happened. How that didn't come out in the wssh is beyond me, losing the tale 1*.

The arc with the missing family member who had issues of his own making due to his issues with self-esteem, was unnecessary and inorganic and went nowhere, other than fulfilling that "Really guy, you didn’t see that coming?" aspect of the tale. I sincerely hoped that he'd bog back off to Oz and find himself PNG to both country and abandoned partner.

The female senior cop, allegedly headhunted for the new position she took up was a caricature of a woman too full of her own self-importance. She bullied, belittled, bragged - all too unbelievably in 2025 UK policing that's had a bad press and that's working hard to be better. She really wasn't necessarily to the tale, and unknowingly aided and abetted the killer with her obstructive ways and oneupmanship. Let's hope she gets her comeuppance in the next tale, if she's still around.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Hera books for my reading pleasure.

[Monika Armet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sixth book in the Cora Lael Mystery series, but it can be enjoyed as a standalone. I previously read two books in the series, The Secret Voices and The Unspoken Truth, and I was excited to return to the characters.

Dr Cora Lael is a psychologist for the South Suffolk’s Educational Psychology Department, but she also works as a police consultant.

Cora is an emotional synaesthete, meaning she can sense emotions attached to objects, almost as if they are echoes of the past.

While on a morning run, Cora and DS Rob Minshull, stumble upon a body of a man covered in beach detritus – shells, stones, seaweed.

The victim was a 64-year-old homeless man, Ron Venn.

The press are very quick to name the killer “The Beachcomber”.

Then, the second victim is found in a similar fashion…

And at the same time, Cora’s estranged brother, Charlie, returns from Australia. However, something is clearly bothering him, and his mental health is in a fragile state…

I really like this series. Cora is such a likeable character, and I enjoyed the added tension of her brother’s return.

Cora was suspecting her brother of the worst, but then the local journalist was also suspecting her own brother of the murders – I liked how there was a good pool of potential suspects. It certainly added more depth to the story.

I liked the simmering attraction between Cora and Rob. The two are almost dancing around each other, not wanting to make the first move.

I do hope they get together, but I guess I have to wait until the next book!

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Stolen Dead is a windswept mystery steeped in salt and sorrow, where the Suffolk coast becomes both crime scene and character. MJ White’s sixth instalment in the Cora Lael series unfurls with a quiet intensity: a body posed with pebbles and seaweed, a whispering voice that claims “mine,” and a community fraying at the edges.

Cora’s psychic sensitivity to objects lends the procedural a spectral shimmer, but it’s the emotional undercurrents—fractured trust, mental strain, and the slow-burn connection between Cora and DS Minshull—that give this novel its heart. The case is chilling, yes, but it’s the tenderness threaded through the investigation that lingers.

White balances suspense with soul, crafting a narrative that’s as much about healing and human connection as it is about solving a murder. Even if you’re new to the series, you’ll find yourself drawn into Cora’s world—where intuition is a gift, and every echo tells a story.

With thanks to MJ White, the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

When DS Rob Minshull and Dr Cora Lael are enjoying a run on the beach one Sunday morning the last thing they expect is the body of a man with a sort of shrine on his chest. He had been killed with one stab to the heart but the arrangement of shells and seaside items are on top of it. Cora is gifted (some might say cursed) with the ability to hear echoes of incidents. On previous cases she had proved invaluable to the police and was a respected advisor to the police.

The investigation into this is hampered by a new inspector, a woman determined to show she was no pushover and her micromanagement nearly proves fatal.

I don't know how I missed this series of books! I loved the idea of Cora's talents and I enjoyed meeting a new cast of characters. The story moved on at a good pace and kept me guessing. I may have missed the earlier books in the series but I'll be looking out for the next one. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for giving me the chance to read & review this book- another author to add to my 'must read' list!

[Kate Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed the latest instalment. Although you can read this as a standalone as Miranda does catch you up, I'd recommend reading the rest of the series first because you'll get more out of their backstories and character development.

Dr Cora Lael has an unusual talent - she can 'hear' echoes of voices from the past when she touches things. And this time, when she and DS Rob Minshull (who are slowly moving towards being a couple) are out on a run, they find a dead body on the beach and Cora hears 'I found you...'

The team's trying to pull themselves together after dealing with some difficult cases and the fallout at work, but they're not helped by the new (and awful) DCI - or by the local journalists. And when Cora thinks that the killer might have a personal interest in her, things start to get very dark indeed...

Lots of twists and turns, a lot of emotional depth, and a thoroughly good read.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings about this book. The plot did not really engage me until I was half way through the book, I had to push myself to carry on reading. Chapters are told from different viewpoints, including the killer, though his identity is unknown until later on in the book. The team investigating do not seem to have much in the way of a personality and I am not convinced by Cora's ability to hear objects. I did like the different possible suspects which added an interesting dimension to the book and gave me something to think about. The police actions all seem a bit amateuristic and I'm not convinced by the supposed relationship between Rob and Cora .
Not a bad read, but not great either. Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC

[Martha Brindley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series featuring Dr Cora Lael with her amazing gift of hearing voices from the past. She is such an interesting and unique character, which adds to the plotting in a positive way. I failed to like the new DCI but there are plenty twists in the tale to keep the reader interested. Another good read in the series. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another exciting & dramatic chapter in the lives of Cora, Minsh & the guys of South Suffolk CID. Each new story is my favourite & perhaps finally Cora & Minsh might accept the relationship that's obvious to everyone but themselves! Loved it. 💜

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! The next one in the series and it did not disappoint.
Atmospheric and unputdownable, I greatly enjoyed the story and really felt the “pull” of the collector.
Can’t wait to see what comes next.

[Christine Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

though I enjoyed it the series started to get much the sameness

[TheEditor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, utterly brilliant!! Great plot, wonderful characters.

Plus, it seems MJ White is a fellow Rura and Elephant Sessions fan...

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the sixth book in a series that I had not read any of before. Normally I do not start in the middle of a series, but I must have missed the information on NetGalley when I requested it. A man is found murdered on the beach and the local police work on the investigation with the help of Cora Lael, a psychologist (I think) who has the ability to detect psychic energy or something from objects and people. The plot of this was good, and I enjoyed that, but I could do without the psychic aspect personally. 3 stars.

[Tea Leaves and Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Six in the Dr Cora Lael Crime Thriller series from M J White and perhaps, the best yet! Described as Cora's most personal case yet, that is most definitely not an exaggeration, and from the start she is plunged into a case that is a little too close to home at times. As with all books in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone with enough of the back-story of the main characters given throughout, but reading the series is a treat and fully recommended!

I've said this before - this has everything a brilliant crime thriller series needs - suspense, good characters, a familiar team and a strong setting. Throw in the added character of Cora Lael and her extremely unusual talent and you've got yourself something unique that you won't be able to put down until you've finished reading. And that still rings true six books down the line with this series.

Aside from the characters, setting and storyline, there is a huge dose of reality in these books, maybe more so in book six. The drawbacks of social media, public lives, policing cuts and more are woven through the story-lines, making this an alarmingly close to home book for the readers too.

[Siegrist · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s always so interesting to be back in Cora’s world. I really love this series -this is book six! -for the way it blends police procedural with something quieter and stranger. It is its own genre - magical realist crime fiction, with an undercurrent of slow burn romance.

Cora works as an educational psychologist and as a police consultant, and her emotional synaesthesia allows her to sense the feelings objects have absorbed. When a homeless man is found dead on the beach, his body arranged with shells and seaweed, Cora again lends her expertise to DS Rob Minshull and his team.

In her private life, things are also complicated for Cora. The return of her troubled brother unsettles her and while she loves spending time with Rob, she’s unsure about a relationship.

With its unusual combination of grit and whimsy, rich world building and characters I have come to care for, this series is one where I’ll always reach for the next installment.

With thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the arc copy.

[Sas astro · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always a well written story with an interesting concept, at times it was an edge of your seat thriller but there was one thing that marred the story for me and hence lost it a star, the collective amnesia of the entire South Suffolk CID team at just one point of the story

[Sian Sandwith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant as always but that ending….

[S Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

Loved this book, kept me guessing until the end.
I’ve grown to love the characters and their stories. Can’t wait for the next one!