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Mystery in the New Forest
(2026)(The fourth book in the DI Callum MacLean Mystery series)
A novel by Carol Cole
A single shot fired. A body lying dead in the heather. A village with something to hide.
On a raw March morning in the New Forest, a man is found dead on the open heath. Angus Darnell was shot through the heart while out for his morning run.
Detective Inspector Callum MacLean is used to dealing with shootings after his time on the Glasgow force, but never expected to come across one on this quiet patch in Hampshire.
Angus was a photographer, Sunday school teacher and chairman of the local gun club. A man everyone agrees had no enemy in the world.
So why can't MacLean's team find any trace of him before 2005?
Whatever Angus Darnell was trying to hide goes back a lot further.
And MacLean and his team must unpick thirty years of secrets to find out who was waiting for him in the heather.
A gripping, atmospheric British police procedural with a heart-wrenching twist. Perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, Elly Griffiths, Joy Ellis and Faith Martin.
MEET THE DETECTIVE:
Detective Inspector Callum MacLean came south from Glasgow and never went back. He's patient. He's quiet. His silences last longer than most people can stand, which is usually how he gets his answers. When he's thinking, he sketches in graphite, fixing the small details other people walk past. He lost his wife, Grace, years ago and still won't discuss it, but he's built something good on the edge of the heath at Hale. Nearly four years in Hampshire and not one shooting. Callum knows better than to think that means anything. Quiet places aren't innocent. They're just quiet.
THE SETTING:
March in the New Forest and spring is dragging its heels. The open heath is the colour of old brick and the gorse is just breaking into yellow, the only splash of colour for miles. Wild ponies running loose across the purlieu, cattle grids rumbling underfoot, silver birch saplings shivering in a keen wind off the heath. Down the hill sits Downton, a large village that thinks well of itself, with thatched cottages, a church at the top of the lane and the river running gently behind the High Street. It looks like nothing ever happens here. That is why a man could arrive with no past at all, and nobody would think to ask.
READERS LOVE THE DI CALLUM MACLEAN MYSTERIES:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 'Easy to read and hard to put down.' FraserD
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️���️ 'Excellent. Fast paced, lots of twists, good character development. A very good read.' PC Venton
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 'Absolutely excellent. Couldn't put it down.' Suzy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 'Great series. Really enjoyable story with great characters.' Welsh Witch
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 'Great plot and characters, plenty of twists and turns and fab detective work.' H.J. Netting
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐���⭐️ 'Fantastic plot and well written.' Sioux
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 'I absolutely loved this book. Now I have a new favourite detective and team.' Mrs G.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 'Carol Cole is a fabulous author. She keeps the pace going. And has a good plot.' Linda H-R
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 'A vivid setting in the New Forest and an engrossing crime story.' Roger C.
Genre: Mystery
On a raw March morning in the New Forest, a man is found dead on the open heath. Angus Darnell was shot through the heart while out for his morning run.
Detective Inspector Callum MacLean is used to dealing with shootings after his time on the Glasgow force, but never expected to come across one on this quiet patch in Hampshire.
Angus was a photographer, Sunday school teacher and chairman of the local gun club. A man everyone agrees had no enemy in the world.
So why can't MacLean's team find any trace of him before 2005?
Whatever Angus Darnell was trying to hide goes back a lot further.
And MacLean and his team must unpick thirty years of secrets to find out who was waiting for him in the heather.
A gripping, atmospheric British police procedural with a heart-wrenching twist. Perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, Elly Griffiths, Joy Ellis and Faith Martin.
MEET THE DETECTIVE:
Detective Inspector Callum MacLean came south from Glasgow and never went back. He's patient. He's quiet. His silences last longer than most people can stand, which is usually how he gets his answers. When he's thinking, he sketches in graphite, fixing the small details other people walk past. He lost his wife, Grace, years ago and still won't discuss it, but he's built something good on the edge of the heath at Hale. Nearly four years in Hampshire and not one shooting. Callum knows better than to think that means anything. Quiet places aren't innocent. They're just quiet.
THE SETTING:
March in the New Forest and spring is dragging its heels. The open heath is the colour of old brick and the gorse is just breaking into yellow, the only splash of colour for miles. Wild ponies running loose across the purlieu, cattle grids rumbling underfoot, silver birch saplings shivering in a keen wind off the heath. Down the hill sits Downton, a large village that thinks well of itself, with thatched cottages, a church at the top of the lane and the river running gently behind the High Street. It looks like nothing ever happens here. That is why a man could arrive with no past at all, and nobody would think to ask.
READERS LOVE THE DI CALLUM MACLEAN MYSTERIES:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 'Easy to read and hard to put down.' FraserD
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️���️ 'Excellent. Fast paced, lots of twists, good character development. A very good read.' PC Venton
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 'Absolutely excellent. Couldn't put it down.' Suzy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 'Great series. Really enjoyable story with great characters.' Welsh Witch
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 'Great plot and characters, plenty of twists and turns and fab detective work.' H.J. Netting
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐���⭐️ 'Fantastic plot and well written.' Sioux
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 'I absolutely loved this book. Now I have a new favourite detective and team.' Mrs G.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 'Carol Cole is a fabulous author. She keeps the pace going. And has a good plot.' Linda H-R
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 'A vivid setting in the New Forest and an engrossing crime story.' Roger C.
Genre: Mystery