Product Description

In the peaceful village of Old Sawrey, set in the idyllic Lake District, a murderer strikes. Warren Howe, a husband and father of two, is brutally slaughtered with his own scythe by a mysterious hooded figure. The police manage to identify several suspects, but due to the lack of evidence they fail to make an arrest. Years later, an anonymous tip-off sparks the interest of DCI Hannah Scarlett, who heads the local Cold Case Review Team. Scarlett's investigations lead her to suspect Howe's widow, Tina. Meanwhile, someone is sending vicious poison pen letters to Tina and her two children. With the help of a historian, and his information on the goings on in his unusual garden, Inspector Scarlett delves deeper and deeper in her quest for the truth, discovering old sins that are casting long shadows. The clues are eventually pieced together, leading to a shocking revelation that will change Hannah's life forever.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16330 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-21
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 312 pages

Review
'A first rate complex thriller' Sunday Times 'Martin Edwards writes terrific crime novels' Guardian

From the Author
Many readers of 'The Coffin Trail' were fascinated by the relationship between Hannah and Daniel, and 'The Cipher Garden' takes that relationship a step further. This is a more complex novel in structural terms. As well as seeing events from the perspectives of Daniel and Hannah, the reader is taken into the heart of the family of the late Warren Howe, by seeing the case from the point of view of his daughter Kirsty. This gives the story an extra layer as well as providing the opportunity for what I hope readers will find a stunning twist. 'The Cipher Garden' is a book I'm really proud of and the reaction from readers and reviewers has been enormously gratifying.

About the Author
MARTIN EDWARDS was born in Cheshire. He read law at Oxford and then trained as a solicitor. He is married with two children, and is currently a partner at Mace & Jones law firm, based in Liverpool and Manchester. The author of the acclaimed series of legal mysteries featuring Harry Devlin, he is also a critic and has edited various short story collections. Find out more about Martin Edwards by visiting www.murdersquad.co.uk.

Customer Reviews

Murder & Mystery Grow In The Cipher Garden
The Cipher Garden, the second Martin Edwards novel in his Lake District Mystery series, is as compelling a Crime Fiction novel as is likely to be found. A lot darker than its predecessor, The Coffin Trail, Edwards has managed to encapsulate the mysterious beauty of The Lakes and has imbued them with even more macabre majesty, through tight descriptive prose, credible scenarios and manifestly believable characterisations.
Warren Howe, a husband and father of two, is brutally slaughtered with his own scythe by a mysterious hooded figure. He had been on a garden-landscaping job, digging an excavation trench into which the killer would soon throw his bloodied, lifeless body. The police identify several suspects but, due to the lack of evidence, they fail to make an arrest.
Years later an anonymous tip-off sparks the interest of DCI Hannah Scarlett and, despite her superior’s discouragement, she follows her instincts and pursues the case. Hannah’s investigations lead her to suspect Howe’s widow, Tina, but she has an alibi that seems to put her out of the frame and only when historian Daniel Kind’s discoveries about the unusual garden attached to his new home emerge, does the crucial link Hannah’s investigation carry her forward. As Hannah and Daniel delve deeper in their quest for the truth, they discover that in this village old sins cast long shadows.
Here, the characters of Kind and Scarlett are much more rounded and natural. Their chemistry is tinged with a tension that invigorates their individual personalities so that the reader yearns for them to be drawn closer together. Alone, they are two people set in their own separate worlds. Together, they are a team made in heaven.
The plotline is fast, gripping and, at times, disturbing, which openly demands pages to be turned. There are also more of the delicate insights to the beauty and background of The Lake District itself; The Cipher Garden unearths more history of the region than an entire ream of Tourist Information pamphlets could ever manage, which never slows or detracts from the storyline in any way.
If a Crime Fiction fan is looking for something supremely well written, deeply intriguing and darkly sinister, then there is nobody who could possibly be disappointed with this latest offering from Martin Edwards.

Atmospheric mystery
Lecherous landscape gardener Warren Howe was murdered. Cut to pieces with a scythe and his body dumped in the trench he was digging in a client's backyard. There was no shortage of suspects among his many conquests and their unhappy husbands, but no one is charged with the crime. Now, the cold case team led by DCI Hannah Scarlett, receives an anonymous letter accusing Howe's wife Tina of the murder, and they reinvestigate. Cold case investigations stir up all kinds of memories and fears, and this one is no exception, especially when Nick Lowther, Hannah's Sergeant, who was on the original investigating team, seems to be involved with one of the prime suspects. Hannah's friendship with Daniel Kind, the son of her old boss and mentor, is also becoming more important to her, and Daniel becomes involved in the murder investigation as he researches the history of his garden at Tarn Cottage and the hidden message in its design. This is a fantastic follow up to The Coffin Trail, the first in this series of mysteries. Hannah and Daniel are increasingly drawn to each other, and their relationship is the emotional core of the book. The investigation is full of surprises and the Lake District - including a visit to Beatrix Potter's Hill Top Farm - is a lovely setting for murder and mayhem.

The Cipher Garden
The second of Martin Edwards' "Lake District" novels is every bit as good as the first. So much so that I bought the third (most up to date novel at this moment) along with The Cipher Garden knowing that I would be reaching for it as I neared the end of this second tome. Martin Edwards gives us something of the old fashioned English Murder Mystery, blended in with some very weird and wonderful fashions of death, supported by his delightful descriptions and histories of the beautiful "Lakes", and surrounding areas.
Edwards doesn't really do high body counts, which says an awful lot about his craftsmanship as a storyteller. Most modern crime novels rely on body after body piling up, supplying us with a touch of blood lust, so it is a great delight to pick up one of these books knowing that you are going to be heartily entertained, rather than shocked.
My only CRITICISM regarding Martin Edwards is DISMAY that this very talented author is not streaking to the top of the BEST-SELLER lists. Spoil yourself and then sit back and read a terrific yarn.