You can’t stay dead forever…
A group of high school students gather on the Isle of Skye’s remote Coral Beach for a hedonistic night of partying to celebrate the passing of their final exams. The new millennium is on the horizon and the future beckons, promising new hope and a fresh wind of optimism. In the coming days, many will leave the island for work or to study on the mainland, whereas others will remain on Skye and forge a more traditional path much as their families have done for centuries before them.
That is… all but one…
D.I. Duncan McAdam is dispatched home to the Misty Isle. A body has been found buried in a remote location on the Waternish peninsula. Well preserved in the peat, Isla Matheson – missing for the better part of two decades – is revealed to a shocked island community. A teenage runaway is dead… and no one is talking…
Joining a small team of detectives, Duncan is tasked with revisiting those who knew Isla, those who cared for her… and those with the potential to kill her… In a remote community well used to settling scores among themselves, will they trust one of their own when he asks questions or will they persevere with the façade of ignorance?
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Gritty, Gripping Mystery With Plenty of “Just One More Chapter” Energy
A Long Time Dead by J.M. Dalgliesh is the kind of crime thriller that grabs you gently by the collar, whispers “things are about to get messy,” and then leads you through a perfectly twisty maze of secrets and small-town shadows.
We follow DI David Dark, who is as steady and intriguing as his name suggests. He’s clever, he’s determined, and he has that classic detective vibe—haunted enough to be interesting, but not so broody you want to shake him. The Norfolk setting adds a deliciously eerie atmosphere, all wide skies and whispers in the marsh grass, making every clue feel a little more ominous.
Dalgliesh writes short, sharp chapters that practically dare you to stop reading. (Spoiler: you won’t.) The mystery is layered, the suspects are shady in all the right ways, and the pacing has just the right rhythm to keep you turning pages long past bedtime.
Why four stars? Sometimes the story zooms ahead so quickly you might wish for a touch more depth in a few moments—but honestly, that’s part of its charm. It’s a thriller built for fun, fast reading.
A solid four stars: atmospheric, addictive, and wonderfully twisty. Perfect for crime-fiction fans who love moody landscapes, compelling detectives, and mysteries that keep you guessing all the way through.
Jason Dalgliesh is a British crime-writer who was born on the south coast of England and grew up in Hampshire, UK.
Following on from the worldwide bestselling Dark Yorkshire and Hidden Norfolk crime series, in 2023, he introduced us to DI Duncan McAdam, a detective returning to his childhood home on Scotland’s Misty Isle, the Isle of Skye. A LONG TIME DEAD was published in October 2023 and hit the coveted #1 spot in the Amazon Kindle Store, followed soon after by THE DEAD MAN OF STORR which also placed high in the Top 10 upon release. The following books in the series have all been Amazon bestsellers.
Jason was recently listed in the Top 10 most-read authors of the last decade on Amazon UK despite only publishing titles for six of those ten years. To date, he has recorded over four million sales across his works and has also been published by Bookouture (Hachette UK.)
The Hidden Norfolk series has seen multiple number ones and the fifth book, HEAR NO EVIL, was shortlisted for Amazon’s prestigious Kindle Storyteller Award in 2020. Jason has seen multiple books top the charts in the USA, Canada and Australia.
Jason has cemented his place as one of the most popular authors writing UK based regional crime in recent years. His work is currently in development for television by an award winning production team. The plots take in some of the UK’s most rugged and beautiful landscapes.
Penned in the style of crime thrillers with a touch of Scandinavian noir, readers who enjoy dark atmospheric mysteries will find his books a must-read.
Having spent time abroad, Jason has lived and worked in various parts of England as well as the Scottish Highlands. He currently lives in Norfolk with his wife and two young children.
