I’m delighted that tomorrow is publication day for Death on the Lake, the fifth in the DCI Satterthwaite series.

In this episode, Jude finds himself wrestling with a series of increasingly-suspicious deaths in the picturesque valley of Martindale, alongside Ullswater in the Lakes. His problems are compounded by his boss’s reluctance to allow him to look too closely at certain aspects of the case, and by the involvement of his ex-partner Becca Reid, whose great uncle is one of the victims. Add to the mix the arrival of Ashleigh O’Halloran’s former husband and Jude has a real mess to sort out.

To introduce you to the book I’d like to share this trailer. Credit to Patrick Sweeney, who put it together from my very amateur attempts at filming!

Three youngsters, out for a good time. Vodka and the wrong sort of Coke. What could possibly go wrong?

When a young woman, Summer Raine, is found drowned, apparently accidentally, after an afternoon spent drinking on a boat on Ullswater, DCI Jude Satterthwaite is deeply concerned — more so when his boss refuses to let him investigate the matter any further to avoid compromising a fraud case.

But a sinister shadow lingers over the dale and one accidental death is followed by another and then by a violent murder. Jude’s life is complicated enough but the latest series of murders are personal to him as they involve his former partner, Becca Reid, who has family connections in the area. His determination to uncover the killer brings him into direct conflict with his boss — and ultimately places both him and his colleague and girlfriend, Ashleigh O’Halloran, in danger…