IN THE MOORS

Children’s author Milton’s adult debut creates a mystical world in which the secret to a missing child may be locked in the subconscious of a leading suspect.

When shamanic counselor and herbal healer Sabbie Dare (don’t call her Sabrina) takes on Cliff Houghton as a client, even her uncanny powers can’t tell what’s coming next. Cliff has a dark feeling about him, and as Sabbie enters his unconsciousness, her otter spirit guide, Trendle, has serious trepidations about her travels. What Sabbie finds in Cliff’s mind runs parallel to the case of some local missing boys, and though Cliff claims not to know anything about the disappearances, he is curiously drawn to the cases. Unfortunately, local police detective sergeant Reynard Buckley is also drawing parallels between Cliff and the return of what the locals are calling the Wetland Murderer. He demands that Sabbie tell him all she knows about Cliff. Rey isn’t persuaded when she asserts Cliff’s innocence, and Cliff’s increasingly suspicious and inexplicable behavior doesn’t help his case. Even so, Sabbie trusts her instincts and keeps on investigating in the hope of clearing Cliff’s name. Now, if only those instincts would kick in concerning her lover, Ivan, who may be more trouble than he’s worth.

A fast-moving thriller likely to draw in readers despite, or perhaps because of, its bizarre heroine.