The Dark Winter

"David Mark’s British police procedurals are a wholesome corrective to cop novels starring prima donna detectives who single-handedly solve major murder cases. Sgt. Aector McAvoy, the “gentle, humble, shy giant of a man”… is clearly the hero of this brawny series set in the north of England... But Mark surrounds his Scottish detective with fellow officers who make vital contributions to the case and are interesting in their own right.”—The New York Times Sunday Book Review

“British crime reporter Mark’s outstanding first novel, a suspenseful whodunit, introduces Det. Sgt. Aector McAvoy…Readers will want to see more of the complicated McAvoy, who well deserves a sophisticated and disturbing plot.”—Publisher’s Weekly (starred)

“[A]n impressive debut. John Harvey readers should take note.”—Booklist (starred)

“With a poetic intensity in its prose, an unpredictable plot and a Scottish detective, Mark’s novel gripped me from its opening pages.”—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“It will not be long until new voices in the genre are hailed as the ‘next David Mark.’”—Bookpage.com

“Fast moving and tightly plotted, with strong characterization and a likeable protagonist, this is an extremely promising debut.”—The Guardian

“The Dark Winter is a promising debut by David Mark… certainly provides a trip to Hull and back.”—The Telegraph

"Dark Winter is a fantastic debut of a police procedural series that takes place in northern England. Just as Detective Sergeant Aector McAvoy seems to be able to put himself in the mind of a killer, David Mark has developed his characters so completely that the reader can almost put himself in the mind of McAvoy as he is connecting dots that no one else even sees. McAvoy may be a gentle giant of a man but he is also determined to get at the truth even if his job is in jeopardy. Luckily, he finds a believer in his boss, another dedicated officer who also is fighting to keep her job."—Nancy McFarlane, Fiction Addiction

“The Dark Winter is an exceptional debut from an exciting new talent. David Mark is an original and captivating new voice.”—Val McDermid