The Missing Dead

Discover the addictive new murder mystery in the globally bestselling Misty Isle series, featuring D.I. Duncan McAdam. Perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves and Elly Griffiths.

One murder. Three empty graves. And a secret worth killing for...

D.I. Duncan McAdam is called to a cemetery to investigate a desecrated grave. The deceased was the skipper of a trawler with a chequered past. Its crew all died in mysterious circumstances - one man fell to his death; the second took his own life; the third jumped from a rocky clifftop. Only one crewman remains.

When Duncan goes to interview the skipper’s widow, he finds her house ransacked, blood on the floor, and a body in the boot of her car. He soon realises that everyone on board that trawler was hiding something - and it all leads back to one stormy night at sea years ago.

As the case begins to spiral, Duncan’s own personal challenges with his son come back to haunt him. Can he find the only surviving crew member before it’s too late? What secrets did these men take with them to their graves? And why is someone willing to kill to unearth them now?

Readers love J M Dalgliesh:
‘Fantastic’ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘The best detective series I’ve read’ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘You can’t put these books down’ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘J M Dalgliesh never disappoints’ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘Like watching Shetlandon TV’ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

‘So much tension’ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Jason Dalgliesh was born on the south coast of England and grew up in Hampshire, UK. He has worked in the power transmission industry, the retail sector, call centres and as a night-owl in a bakery. He has a degree in history.

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 Store.

Jason was recently listed in the Top 10 most-read authors of the last decade on Amazon UK. To date, he has recorded over four million sales across his works and has also been published by Hachette UK imprint, Bookouture.

In 2026, Jason signed for Penguin Random House imprint, Transworld. A new series set on the Orkney Isles will begin publishing in 2027 with MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL.

The Hidden Norfolk series has topped the charts with multiple titles and two books in the series, HEAR NO EVIL and WHEN DEATH CALLS, have been shortlisted for the Amazon Kindle Storyteller Award in 2020 and 2025.

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.

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.

Readers love J M Dalgliesh:

"Fantastic" ―FIVE-STAR READER REVIEW

“The best detective series I’ve read” ―FIVE-STAR READER REVIEW