"Anderson clearly knows what her readers want and how to keep them coming back for more" The Sunday Herald When Mark Howitt strikes lucky on a Friday night in Glasgow, he expects a fun, no-strings night of passion with Leila. But when he wakes up in the early hours of the morning and tries to find the exit to Leila's flat, he is horrified to stumble upon his former bed partner dead and suspended from the ceiling of the next room, alongside twenty-seven Barbie dolls. Rhona Macleod's forensic investigation of the scene reveals the cord used to hang Leila to be a cingulum, an artefact used in the practise of Wicca, and sketches hidden in nine of the dolls suggest the dolls are linked with nine men, and as the investigation continues, it looks increasingly likely that other wiccan witches will be targeted too. Helping with the investigation is the newly demoted DI Michael McNab, who is desperate to stay sober and not disgrace himself further. But an encounter with Leila's colleague and fellow Wiccan Shannon threatens to throw his plans out the window. Soon, McNab realises Shannon may hold the key to uncovering who the killer is and identifying the nine men linked to the dolls. If he can get to her before the killer does . . . PRAISE FOR THE SPECIAL DEAD "The Special Dead is the tenth in Lin Anderson's series featuring her forensic scientist, Rhona MacLeod and it is everything that we have come to expect from this highly talented author" Eurocrime "This unusual police procedural series has been running for more than a decade but shows no signs of flagging, with its solid plotting and recurring characters who are worth getting to know" Morning Star

Author Biography

Lin Anderson has published several novels and one novella featuring forensic expert Dr Rhona MacLeod, which have been widely translated. Her short story Dead Close was chosen for the Best of British Crime 2011 and is currently in development as a feature film. Also a screenwriter, her film River Child won a student BAFTA and the Celtic Film Festival best fiction award. Currently Chair of the Society of Authors in Scotland, she is also co-founder of Bloody Scotland, Scotland's International Crime Writing Festival.