A tragic double homicide, or a hidden serial killer? Sergeant Alice Morrow is determined to solve a mystery spanning sixty years.
When Evelyn Massey is found dead in her home, it seems like an open-and-shut case: Evelyn was one hundred years old — natural causes. But Sergeant Alice Morrow learns that traces of poison were found in Mrs. Massey’s blood. Then the remains of a body some sixty years deceased are discovered in the dead woman’s basement.
Two murders, decades apart. Are they connected?
In the second book in Shane Peacock’s award-winning Northern Gothic Mystery series, Morrow and former NYPD homicide detective Hugh Mercer unearth stunning truths about Evelyn Massey’s life and learn of other disappearances over the past sixty years. Was a serial killer quietly at work in this Ontario town? Could the murderer still be among its citizens, hidden in plain sight?
“This novel is spine-tingling, haunting, and will have lovers of gothic mystery begging for more. The characters are raw, interesting, and relatable as the police service navigates new members and the complexity of long-standing ones. At the heart of A Place of Secrets is a sweet sentiment wrapped in silver linings and dipped in darkness, and all as cold as the winter days it takes place over.”
– The Miramichi Reader
“With A Place of Secrets, Peacock delivers yet another gripping novel steeped in atmosphere, emotion, and moral complexity. His Ontario landscape feels at once familiar and haunted, a place where history seeps into every corner. Through Morrow’s sharp and determined perspective, Peacock examines what people will do to protect the truths they cannot face. The result is a compelling and deeply human mystery that lingers long after the final page.”
– Open Book
“Like Munro and the late filmmaker David Lynch, Peacock enjoys pulling the curtain back on small-town politesse and exposing the rot behind it.”
– The Toronto Star
