Half the World Away: a chilling evocation of a mother's worst nightmare

'Stunning' - Ann Cleeves

Every parent's worst gap year nightmare...

After graduating, Lori Maddox heads off travelling and arrives in China where she finds work as a private English tutor. Back in Manchester, her parents Jo and Tom follow her adventures on her blog.

Suddenly communication stops. When the silence persists a frantic Jo and Tom report her missing. But it's impossible to find out anything from so far away, so they travel to Chengdu to search for their daughter.

Landing in a totally unfamiliar country, with no knowledge of the customs or language, and receiving scant help from the local authorities, Jo and Tom are forced to turn detective. It's an unbearably difficult challenge and, as the days pass, the fear that Lori is lost for good grows ever larger...

Praise for Cath Staincliffe:

'Harrowing and humane. A real knockout' Ian Rankin

'It's always exciting to see a writer get better and better and Cath Staincliffe is doing just that' Val McDermid

'Remarkable depth ... The most grown-up writer in British crime fiction' Telegraph