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DARK CORNERS The past is never dead… A missing child's body is found on the edge of the Peak District. As DCI Kenny Murrain and his team investigate, more attempted child abductions are reported. Murrain's instincts tell him this is a community with secrets, and those secrets have their roots deep in the past. Unexpected connections surface as he uncovers mysteries long buried. A motorcycle accident in the nearby hills. The unexplained death of a local prison governor. And a high-profile child killing two decades before. Then another child goes missing, and Murrain and his team must race to identify the killer before the past catches up with them and it's too late… Praise for Alex Walters 'Brilliant from start to finish… one of the best police procedure books I have read.' – Bookstormer Blog ‘A talent to be reckoned with … A strong story line, muscular prose and a real sense of pace…a police procedural for a new age’ - Daily Mail ‘…Right up there with the best police procedural thrillers of the last few years. Expect to hear much more of Walters in the future.’ – Mark Timlin

315 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 9, 2016

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Alex Walters

47 books129 followers

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5 stars
369 (40%)
4 stars
381 (41%)
3 stars
133 (14%)
2 stars
19 (2%)
1 star
7 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
89 reviews1 follower
April 5, 2022
Dark page turner with a plot that twists and turns and has an unexpected end.
Murraine and his team are great characters.
I enjoyed this even more than book 1 and have just invested in book 3.
Always good to find a decent crime series.
It’s not quite up to JD Kirks DCI Logan series but nearly - just needs a smidgeon of comedy..
Profile Image for Leigh.
Author 8 books1 follower
January 4, 2018
DCI Kenny Murrain is faced with the death of a child, but almost no leads to suggest who the killer might be. As the case begins to go cold, reports of attempted child abductions begin to surface; but are they genuine, or the result of the children's overactive imaginations or their mothers' paranoia? And what about the convicted child-murderer living in their midst?

Inundated with input from his unfocused "sixth sense" Kenny struggles to put it all together.

Couldn't put it down!
215 reviews1 follower
April 13, 2024
Thoroughly enjoyed, great to see characters back, would have liked more of Milton and Marie dont think they got enough airtime. Good storyline and it built well
Profile Image for Linda.
473 reviews
July 26, 2020
Very dark corners

Another terrific read from Alex Walters. Just like the last in this series, I was immediately drawn in, my attention being grabbed by the intricate plot and dark, intense pictures painted by this very clever author. The story starts, as all good novels do, with a chapter setting the scene which doesn’t appear to make sense and seems at odds with what follows on. Then gradually, the further you get into the action, things become clearer. I found the story very interesting from the start when we see Murrain and his team investigating the death of a young boy. We then move into a prison where the Governor and Psychologist are discussing the possible release of a man who has been served a long time in jail for the killing of a boy when he, himself was a child. The prisoner has no clear recollection of what happened and has been exploring ways to bring back his memories before his release to try and ease his way back into a world that he has no experience of as an adult. As the story moves on more characters start to take over and lead us off down an intriguing and complicated path which really keeps the reader concentrated on the action. At times the reader even experiences the feelings and sensations that help drive DCI Kenny Murrain towards solving the mysteries and catching the killers. On this occasion, I was much closer to guessing who the killer was, although the motive was never clear until almost the end. There were several red herrings that made me doubt my instincts and plenty of twists that kept me guessing, but the fast paced ending proved satisfying and conclusive.

The only thing that disappointed me in this story was that we didn’t see much of Marie Donovan, one of the characters that I found interesting in the first of this series. However, I have my fingers crossed that she will make more of an appearance in the next one, which I certainly will be reading.
3,988 reviews14 followers
February 24, 2024
( Format : Audiobook )
"Life always had to be so bloody difficilt."

The body of a child is found: he could not have reached the place alone, but was the death murder or accidental? When another boy is reported missing, or Murrain's team the situation becomes personal.
Another intriguing, if improbable, story which.focuses more on the protagonists then the tale itself and keeps the reader ripped from the start. I do, however, dislike the 'two years previously' device slotted frequently into the text in the first half of the story.
Greg Wagland and gives another fine performance and greatly adds to the enjoyment.

Currently available as a free download from the Audible Plus programme: a short series worth following.
Profile Image for marjorie hall-venmore.
408 reviews8 followers
March 25, 2017
Brilliant

Once again stayed up burning the midnight oil to finish this book, I was hooked from the first chapter and it just kept getting better and better, lots of twist and turns to keep you on your toes, just love the characters it's almost as if you get to know them personally. Very well written on the edge of your seat novel a rollercoaster of a ride with DCI Kenny Murrain and his team, thrown in a psychologist and a supposed child killer, a rich combination of people to keep you guessing all the way through. Highly recommend you read this book, although a stand alone novel, on a personal level better if you read book one, you get more of an insight of the main characters. Brilliant must read.
Profile Image for Peter Marsh.
185 reviews
August 6, 2019
Having learnt to gloss over the ESP bullshit, I enjoyed this one a little more than the first in the series but found that it relied, to an incredible degree, on coincidence and juxtaposition. All the psychology just didn't feel right to me and whilst I accept that the author might well have researched it extensively, and I have no knowledge of the field, it just didn't. And then there is the matter of the van but I'll say no more in that regard.

Even though I've given both just three stars, it's with a little reluctance that I'll move on to something new.
236 reviews4 followers
June 26, 2025
"There's nowt so queer as folk...

... except for thee and me, and sometimes I think thee is a little queer".
Psychology is the softest of all sciences, actually more like a liquid. Or a gas. Let's leave them alone until they agree on a consensus. On the twelvth of Never or so.
There is nothing more obnoxious than a mother who says that she is doing this 'for your own best'. Always a lie.
As before, the paranormal hint is very faint. Logical thinking and the little grey cells work just as well.
Profile Image for Mary Johnson.
1,035 reviews17 followers
April 7, 2022
A complex and sometimes confusing but ultimately good story…. Made more complex and confusing by the authors fixation on first and surnames beginning with the letter W or M. A sample (noted in the last chapter):

Murrain Milton Marie Marty

Wallace Winstead Wickham Wallasey Winston

Will take a break from this series in the hope that by book three, an editor might have been as confused as me!


Profile Image for Aedan Moon.
18 reviews
July 17, 2023
Took a bit longer for me to get into than the first book but it was an excellent twisty turny story that had me on edge the way through.

Sad that there's only one more DCI Kenny story to go but glad there's another series too.

Highly recommended for any fans of thrillers, police procedurals and books with twists.
Profile Image for Christine Rennie.
2,972 reviews41 followers
March 2, 2024
Dark Corners by Alex Walters is the story of child murders investigated by DCI Kenny Murrain and his team. It involves an old murder and recent murders that are apparently done by one man but does involve other men but it isn’t until the end that all will be reversed.
I listened to the Audible production of the story and thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book.
Highly recommended
181 reviews
December 6, 2018
Great read

Thoroughly enjoyed this book its gripping and with a great storyline with a lot of history about the characters so that you really get to listen and understand them. I've read the previous book but this book works well as a stand alone book too.
434 reviews
January 24, 2020
Once again an enjoyable read. I did find it a bit confusing at first before all the threads of the story started to come together. However, I was never so confused that I wasn’t enthralled. I definitely recommend it.
Profile Image for Kathy.
474 reviews
January 15, 2021
There is an audio version of this book, available through my library's use of Hoopla. Great narrator. Characters remain solid. I just didn't care for the plot of this one as much as the first in the series. On to #3.
1,024 reviews6 followers
October 10, 2021
Another great mystery for DCI Kenny Murrain and his team to solve. I love the way Alex James weaves usually more than once case together so that eventually they link up nicely. We know that probably doesn't happen in real life, but they make reading non-the-less.
1,181 reviews6 followers
April 28, 2023
Another great story

Another great story in the DCI Murrain series with a lot of the usual characters. A very good storyline,well constructed with the help of his senses/intuitions. Looking forward to reading more in the series.
Profile Image for Rosemary Hughes.
4,192 reviews23 followers
August 16, 2023
I have submitted this review after listening to the audiobook of this title. (Audible Membership)

A complex narrative between two times, two situations where lives are manipulated by unscrupulous men for their own purposes.
Intriguing and dramatic, an entertaining experience.
529 reviews1 follower
July 28, 2024
This is the second in the series, its ok but not as good as the first. I found it a bit complicated at times to follow, children missing, murders and to much psychology for me in the story. We are in the present day then back twenty years ,which is ok with some authors but i feel this author made the moves back and forth quite unnecessary. So its worth a read but lets hope number three is better.
Profile Image for Alan  Main.
100 reviews4 followers
November 30, 2019
Getting better. Like the interaction between characters. Love the fact his work collegues dont understand his GIFT/CURSE but willingly accept it if it solves cases,and sometimes saves lives.
Profile Image for Leigh.
329 reviews
May 4, 2020
Continuing with my love of thrillers/Police procedural. Another goodie - and didn't seem to matter that, again, I've missed the first in the series.
35 reviews
January 4, 2021
Good Story

Another good read but not as good as first book in series. Didn’t really develop further. Never the less a good easy read
Profile Image for SkyeWake.
286 reviews2 followers
March 28, 2021
Dark and tense with lots of subplots and interweaving stories which come together by the end. Kept me guessing for a long while.
42 reviews
February 17, 2022
Great series

Really enjoying this new series of books. Always a pleasure to discover a series to get into and this one is ticking all the boxes.
Profile Image for Sally.
1,297 reviews
March 25, 2022
Good series, reader, and characters. Good plot and a good solution
Profile Image for Ant.
339 reviews
August 15, 2023
A nice second book in the series. Easy to get into even if like in book 1 it’s pretty obvious who’s done it. It’s simple crime at its best, very readable and with an interesting set of characters.
Profile Image for Kevin.
877 reviews41 followers
May 11, 2024
Twists, turns at every stage, and what stands out, os everyone is susceptible to different types of manipulation which is why the whole plot, subplot and subtext of the book is intriguing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews

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