Welcome to Holm, a quiet parish on the Orkney Mainland, where the sea is never far away, the wind carries stories across the landscape – and appearances can be deceptive. The Holm Mysteries of Orkney is a new atmospheric mystery series by Natalie Hertlein, set among the windswept shores, ancient landscapes and close-knit communities of Orkney. At its centre is Jamie MacLeod, who arrives in Holm ready to begin a new chapter of his life. Fresh from university, with his first job waiting for him in Kirkwall and a new home overlooking the sea, Jamie expects little more than a quiet beginning. Beautiful, remote and steeped in history, Orkney provides the backdrop for a new series of mysteries where ordinary lives hide extraordinary secrets – and sometimes the person watching from across the road has secrets of his own.

A Stranger at Holm

When Jamie MacLeod moves to the quiet Orkney parish of Holm, he is ready for a new beginning.

A new home. His first proper job in Kirkwall. A life of his own. Then he notices the woman who lives across the road. Morag Anderson soon becomes a familiar part of Jamie's new surroundings. He learns her routines, notices when she comes and goes and finds himself increasingly curious about the life behind the windows opposite his own. But then another figure appears. A man dressed in black. Jamie sees him outside Morag's house. He witnesses an argument. And when Morag suddenly disappears, leaving her car behind and no explanation of where she has gone, Jamie realises that what he has seen may be far more important than he ever imagined. As the police search for Morag and her family desperately waits for news, the mysterious man continues to appear - always keeping his distance, always disappearing before anyone can reach him. Jamie becomes determined to find out who he is. And where he has taken Morag.

Set against the windswept landscapes of Orkney, A Stranger at Holm is an atmospheric psychological mystery about obsession, secrets and the unsettling possibility that the truth may be much closer than it seems.

The first book in The Holm Mysteries of Orkney.