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WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS a gritty unputdownable British crime mystery
Traffic cop Sal Delaney’s past is catching up with her . . .
Sunday Times best-selling author David Mark delivers a pulse-pounding new dark and gritty police procedural series set in the north of England, with a complex, intriguing female protagonist.
"Mark is a superbly gifted writer who creates a bleak, unforgiving setting, deeply damaged characters, and a plot that ramps up the violence, tension, and suspense to an almost unbearable level before an explosive ending that will leave readers utterly shattered" Booklist Starred Review
North of England. Cumbria. Salome Delaney didn’t have a great start in life. But her abusive childhood came to a tragic conclusion with the killing of her tyrant mother, Trina, by a jealous ex-boyfriend. At least, that’s what the police say. Sal has never believed kind Wulf, who tried to protect her from her mother’s dark side, could have committed such a crime, but the evidence was irrefutable . . . and who else could have done it?
Now an adult, with a good job as a Collision Investigation Officer, Sal’s done her best to put the past behind her. But one snowy morning she’s called to an accident scene, and she recognizes the body – Barry Ford, the man her mother left Wulf for, all those years ago.
It soon becomes clear this wasn’t just an accident – it was murder. And Wulf, now out of prison, lives very close by . . .
The question of who really killed her mother has haunted Sal her whole life, but as she launches a complex investigation, which gets darker by the hour, she starts to wonder if she really wants to know the answer after all.
This nail-biting series launch will appeal to fans of David Mark’s critically acclaimed DS McAvoy series and readers of Denise Mina, Val McDermid, Ian Rankin and Peter Robinson.
Sunday Times best-selling author David Mark delivers a pulse-pounding new dark and gritty police procedural series set in the north of England, with a complex, intriguing female protagonist.
"Mark is a superbly gifted writer who creates a bleak, unforgiving setting, deeply damaged characters, and a plot that ramps up the violence, tension, and suspense to an almost unbearable level before an explosive ending that will leave readers utterly shattered" Booklist Starred Review
North of England. Cumbria. Salome Delaney didn’t have a great start in life. But her abusive childhood came to a tragic conclusion with the killing of her tyrant mother, Trina, by a jealous ex-boyfriend. At least, that’s what the police say. Sal has never believed kind Wulf, who tried to protect her from her mother’s dark side, could have committed such a crime, but the evidence was irrefutable . . . and who else could have done it?
Now an adult, with a good job as a Collision Investigation Officer, Sal’s done her best to put the past behind her. But one snowy morning she’s called to an accident scene, and she recognizes the body – Barry Ford, the man her mother left Wulf for, all those years ago.
It soon becomes clear this wasn’t just an accident – it was murder. And Wulf, now out of prison, lives very close by . . .
The question of who really killed her mother has haunted Sal her whole life, but as she launches a complex investigation, which gets darker by the hour, she starts to wonder if she really wants to know the answer after all.
This nail-biting series launch will appeal to fans of David Mark’s critically acclaimed DS McAvoy series and readers of Denise Mina, Val McDermid, Ian Rankin and Peter Robinson.
264 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 31, 2026
About the author
David Mark
172 books22 followersThere is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See also: David Mark
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
June 29, 2026
Brilliant start to a new series
Thoroughly enjoyed the first Sal Delaney book here's to the next. David Mark is a very accomplished writer who knows how to meet the reader hooked
Thoroughly enjoyed the first Sal Delaney book here's to the next. David Mark is a very accomplished writer who knows how to meet the reader hooked
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review