The Distant Echo

"Praised for her ingenious surprises and masterful twists, Anthony Award-winner Val McDermid has raised the standard for suspense. Now comes her most absorbing and seductive thriller to date-a masterful novel of murder and retribution that will haunt long into the night..."
An Unsolved Crime...
It was a winter morning in 1978, that the body of a young barmaid was discovered in the snow banks of a Scottish cemetery. The only suspects in her brutal murder were the four young men who found her: Alex Gilbey and his three best friends. With no evidence but her blood
on their hands, no one was ever charged.
That Was Never Forgotten...
Twenty five years later, the Cold Case file on Rosie Duff has been reopened. For Alex and his friends, the investigation has also opened old wounds, haunting memories-and new fears. For a stranger has emerged from the shadows with his own ideas about justice. And revenge.
Or Forgiven.
When two of Alex's friends die under suspicious circumstances, Alex knows that he and his innocent family are the next targets. And there's only way to save them: return to the cold-blooded past and uncover the startling truth about the murder. For there lies the identity of an avenging killer...
"One of my favorite authors." -Sara Paretsky
"McDermid is the best we've got." -"The New York Times"