Left in the Ashes: A pulse-pounding, unputdownable police procedural from an exciting new voice in British crime fiction

by Anna Britton

The brightest stars burn the fastest. The most twisted killers linger the longest.A derelict building in the New Forest burns down with someone inside it. Believed to be arson, DI Juliet Stern and DS Gabe Martin are called onto the scene to investigate. No one knows who the victim is or how they came to be there.

When they discover the body belonged to Zara, a young influencer who solo-hiked in her free time, Stern and Martin delve into the circumstances surrounding her death and there's no shortage of suspects. Her cold and distant boyfriend, her jealous best-friend, an old acquaintance bent on revenge and a stranger with a history of criminal activity.

Meanwhile, Gabe's past comes back to haunt her. The Barrel Man, the serial killer who kidnapped her and her brother as a child, has abducted someone close to her. Stern and Martin must juggle both cases and hope they make it out the other side

An atmospheric, immersive crime thriller perfect for fans of Susie Steiner, Gytha Lodge and Cara Hunter.

Genres: Crime

420 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 18, 2025

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first two in the series however I wasn't totally enamoured with this one. Whilst I understood the need for Gabe to have her struggles, they seemed to totally dominate the book which I felt was detrimental to the police procedural part of the book. Juliet definitely takes a back seat in this one and for a such strong and intriguing character it was such a waste. The story is well written and Anna Britton uses her tried and tested formula of mixing the chapters with texts and scripts and these do work really well. Ending on a cliff hanger as seems to be this author's trademark will make me pick up book 4, but I do hope it returns to the standard of the first two. Enjoyable 3.5⭐️

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book 3 in a series, which I didn't realise when I picked it up. At times characters alluded to past cases; and whilst this didn't affect anything to do with this crime, it did leave me wondering if I was missing anything.

At times the speech seemed to skip from one pair to another, without anything to indicate this had happened. It was only the context that made me think this was the case. This is possibly a formatting issue which will be corrected in the final version, however it did leave me feeling slightly confused at times.

Having said all that, it was still a thoroughly enjoyable read. The plot was engaging and the links to Gabe's past added a layer of complexity. I find the world of 'influencers' rather interesting, and personally think it makes a great backdrop for a crime novel.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this, loved the mixed media elements in the story and the returning characters from book 1. I do hope given the ending we will be getting book 4!