Code 61: 4 (Carl Houseman) - Softcover

‘Harstad is a retired Iowa cop, and his books have a powerful seal of authenticity.’ Guardian

‘The endearingly wry first-person narration is splendidly handled; and the characterisation is very good.’ Colin Dexter

‘Harstad evokes small-town America wonderfully and his decent, honest hero is beautifully drawn.’ Irish Independent

‘Harstad’s books are terrific and really capture the atmosphere of small-town America, where the 20th-century almost seems to have slipped by unnoticed.’ Independent on Sunday

‘Brilliant. Harstad knows his stuff, sifting the evidence with enlightening attention to detail.’ FHM

‘Harstad’s first-hand experience ensures his storytelling always rings true.’ Arena

It's a bright October morning and Deputy Sheriff Carl Houseman is not due on shift for several hours. And then the phone rings. A woman is dead; suspected suicide. The dispatcher can't reveal the details: it's a Code 61. Something serious has happened over at the Mansion and he's not allowed to ask too many questions over the radio.

When Carl arrives at the huge, mysterious house isolated in the woodlands above the Mississippi, he can see why his colleagues are nervous. The young woman lying dead in the bath on the second floor happens to be Edie, the melancholy niece of Carl's boss, Sheriff Ridgeway, and she's tried to commit suicide before. But something about the body's vicious neck wounds tells Carl this case isn't going to be that simple.

As Carl and his feisty partner, FBI Special Agent Hester Gorse, delve deeper into the secrets of the Mansion and its young residents they uncover a terrifying mystery that will shock the American midwest.