A quiet Norfolk village. An amateur theatre. An expensive prop mask worth killing for. When insurance assessor Jack Branham is sent to investigate the theft of a silver devil's mask from the Monkham theatre, he expects paperwork and petty disputes. Instead, a man vanishes. Then a body is found. What begins as a routine claim drags Jack back into the world he tried to escape, secrets, lies, and the slow rot beneath village life. The theatre troupe is hiding more than a missing prop.

The villagers know more than they admit. And the mask is only the beginning. Haunted by loneliness and old failures, Jack follows the trail through muddy construction sites, latenight pubs, and whispered grudges, uncovering a crime born not from genius, but desperation. And desperate people are the most dangerous of all. Perfect for fans of Anthony Horowitz, Peter James, Mark Billingham and classic British crime with a modern edge. A slowburn, characterdriven murder mystery filled with dry humour, sharp dialogue and a detective you won't forget. The first in the Jack Branham Mystery series.