The Woman in the Wood
Contents (2)
Also by M.K. Hill
Sasha Dawson series
The Bad Place
THE WOMAN IN THE WOOD
M.K. Hill
www.headofzeus.com
First published in the UK in 2021 by Head of Zeus Ltd
Copyright © M. K. Hill, 2021
The moral right of M. K. Hill to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN (HB): 9781788548304
ISBN (XTPB): 9781788548311
ISBN (E): 9781788548335
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For Jamie, with thanks
Contents
Welcome Page
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Acknowledgements
About the Author
An Invitation from the Publisher
The charm of fame is so great that we like every object to which it is attached, even death.
Blaise Pascal
1
‘Why don’t you leave her alone, mate?’
Deano didn’t like the way the prat was looking at him. As if he was better than him, as if he was a cut above. Deano wasn’t going to let anybody talk to him like that, not in this pub, not ever. Certainly not this pathetic guy, and his whiny bitch of a girlfriend. He lurched forward to jab the little rat in the chest.
‘What the hell’ – Deano’s voice was an aggressive slur – ‘has it got to do with you?’
‘Please, we don’t want any trouble.’ The man placed an arm around his girl’s shoulder to lead her away, but Deano wasn’t about to let the snivelling little prick off the hook. All he had done was try to talk to her. Last time he looked, it wasn’t a crime to talk to a girl; they liked it when you chatted them up, and it wasn’t even like she was that attractive anyway. But the guy had got all snotty. Telling him to stop bothering her, treating him as if he was the lowest of the low.