William Wisting

When the body of an Australian backpacker is found in Spain, an online group of amateur true crime sleuths springs up around the world, attempting to solve the mystery of her death. Foremost on the message boards is Astria, a young Norwegian woman whose feverish pursuit takes her closer than anyone to solving the case. But just as she makes her claim of unravelling the mystery, she goes offline.

Following weeks of heavy rain, the earth comes crumbling down on one of Larvik’s residential areas, burying a handful of houses. Detective William Wisting is quick to join the rescue operation. Luckily, by sunrise the next day, it becomes clear that the landslide has claimed no victims. And yet, just twenty-four hours later, a body is found – and the victim was killed before the landslide. As Wisting opens an investigation into the mysterious murder, he soon discovers this death might have dangerous ties to a series of ongoing cases.

Following a harsh winter, the dam gates at Farris Lake have been badly damaged, and as summer approaches the lake must be drained for repairs. Under the intense summer sun, the idyllic lake transforms into a barren wasteland – until the secrets that have long been buried beneath the surface are uncovered… On both sides of the lakebed, new evidence relating to unsolved cold cases is discovered – the remains of a young man who went missing eight years ago, and the belongings of a girl who disappeared four years later.