Here’s a second, shorter taster of my new supernaturally tinged mystery thriller novel A Thorn in Winter. It comes from quite a bit later in the novel, during a suspenseful sequence in which Leila makes a series of alarming discoveries.

Leila examined the walls carefully, but the passage had reached a dead end. Turning around, she crept back along the tunnel, painfully aware of her own footsteps. Upon reaching the intersection, she noticed a light about a hundred yards directly ahead. Switching off her torch, Leila stared ahead, hoping the darkness would hide her. A dark shape moved amid the light, but she couldn’t clearly make it out.

Although terrified, Leila slowly put one foot in front of the other, edging forward to the dark shape, trying to get a better look. Her heart raced, but she held her nerve. Gradually, she started to make out the silhouette of the man in the trench coat. He stood outside what appeared to be a wooden door at the end of the tunnel.

Presently, he turned.

Leila froze. Had he seen her? Had he heard her?

Several seconds passed. Forcing herself not to panic, Leila remained still, hardly daring to breathe.

Paperbacks and ebooks of A Thorn in Winter are now available. You can order from Amazon here, directly from my publisher, Ring of Culture, here, from Waterstones here, from Blackwells here, and from various other outlets.

Excerpt from A Thorn in Winter by Simon Dillon, published by Ring of Culture. © Simon Dillon. All rights reserved.