A January Killing: Detective Inspector Zig Batten 2 (A Killing Tree)

"Goodness, there’s some beautiful writing here!"

January, white frost, a pitch-black orchard. The ancient ritual of 'Wassailing' begins with a torchlight procession. It ends with shotguns being fired into the trees, to scare off ‘evil spirits’ and revive the apple blossom.
But not every shotgun fires blanks, and next day a dead body has blossomed in the orchard.
What is the killer’s motive? Why this victim? And who is sending anonymous letters to the villagers of Stockton Marsh, where Detective Inspector Batten’s own Sergeant lives?
Winter closes in, but murder does not stop with the dead - it tunnels into the living too, as Batten and Sergeant Ball discover. Will their own endangered lives and relationships ever be the same?
As snow descends, the police make ready. Till another body is found...

Editorial Review
• “I've read enough books of this genre to fill a small library. I've even kept a list of my favorites. Paul Toolan's Zig Batten books just went to the top of that list.”
• “The mystery, while deeply involved, should be secondary to your reading of this beautifully written novel. Paul Toolan will enthral you with this story, told through dialog and thoughts unsaid.”
• “Highly recommended. The best British mystery I've read in a long time.”
• "Ripe for a TV series - bring it on!"

From the Author:
The 'Killing Tree' series can be read standalone or in the following sequence:

A Killing Tree
A January Killing
An Easter Killing
The Killing of Queen Mab
A Secret Killing
A Ring O'Bells Killing
A Cider-Country Killing

And keep a lookout for book 8...

Paul Toolan was born in Yorkshire but now admits to being a southern softie living in the West of England. After a successful career teaching and managing in Further Education and Universities he wrote book/lyrics for musicals before 'turning to crime'. A January Killing re-visits Inspector Zig Batten and the cider-country settings of Somerset. Like Zig, the author enjoys walking, fishing, gardens and the occasional whisky - but unlike him, he appreciates cricket and the taste of mushrooms, and loves travelling to sunnier climes, Greece in particular.