In pictures: Peter James launches Stop Them Dead on Brighton Palace Pier

Puppies are in high demand all across the country, fuelled initially by lockdown, so when a struggling farmer’s beloved dog produces a litter, he and his wife see the opportunity to earn some much-needed cash. Unfortunately, so does a much more sinister character… As Roy Grace investigates the farmer’s brutal murder, he soon realises that something far bigger and much darker is going on beyond this isolated incident.