Stroud and Son

In the rain-soaked town of Ravenford, death is a quiet business.For decades, Orville Stroud has cared for the dead, preserving dignity for those no one claims. His family's funeral business is fading, his world shrinking-until a stranger offers him a way to keep it alive.The arrangement is simple: bodies are delivered, questions are not asked.At first, nothing seems out of place.But when a young woman goes missing-and is later found-attention begins to gather. Patterns emerge. A ledger records just enough to satisfy, but not enough to explain.And then Inspector Hale arrives from Leeds.He sees what others overlook. He notices what doesn't fit. And he begins to understand the shape of something buried beneath Ravenford's quiet surface.As suspicion grows and the margin for error disappears, Orville finds himself trapped between the man who controls him and the one who is closing in.Because in Ravenford, the dead do not speak.But they are still seen.

Pages: 210, Paperback, Independently published