Path of Needles - Hardcover

"Trails of corpses, not bread crumbs, lead to terror in this captivating, psychologically complex hybrid of magical realism and police procedural . . . Crisp pacing and assured prose lend authenticity to a self-referential thriller that questions our values and the stories that define us."-- Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"I loved Path of Needles--dark and satisfying, like the best chocolate"--Elly Griffiths, author of The Ruth Galloway series

"Path of Needles quickly sets itself apart from the run-of-the-mill police drama. I can't recommend book or author highly enough."--Reader Dad

"The way through the forest is definitely not clear, and it's never been more dangerous."--Paul Kane, Sci-Fi Bulletin

"a definitive female voice in the horror genre."--Black Gate

"Littlewood sows the seeds of the murder mystery like Hansel and Gretel and their trail of breadcrumbs, allowing the reader to follow the path through the book to its tense and satisfying conclusion."--Ross Warren, This is Horror

"A great crime-thriller, Path of Needles shows Alison Littlewood as a first class writer who--if she continues the level of quality and skill she's so far shown--will go a long, long way."--Mark West, author of The Mill

"The fantasy elements provide a level of intrigue that elevates Path of Needles far above your standard serial killer fare . . . a truly gripping novel."--Graeme Reynolds, Starburst magazine

When an expert on fairy tales is called in to consult on the investigation of bizarre murders, her premonition and insight causes suspicion; she must solve the case--and fast--to prove her innocence.
Alice Hyland is an expert on fairy tales--lecturing on the well-known stories and their lesser-known variants--and the natural choice for Police Constable Cate Corbin to consult when a dead girl is found in the woods dressed up as Snow White. Especially when the girl's grieving mother receives a parcel containing a glass bottle of blood stoppered with the dead girl's toe. Cate's boss, Detective Superintendent Heath, isn't convinced of the connection to folklore until a second girl is found, this time dressed as Red Riding Hood and with claw marks gouged into her flesh, like a wolf had been at her.
As she dives deeper into the case, Alice beings to sense a supernatural pull connecting her to the murders. A series of uncanny events seem to be pointing her in the right direction, but she's not the only one noticing; By the time a third girl is found in the local castle, Heath begins to wonder if their fairy tale expert knows too much, and Alice finds herself no longer an asset, but a suspect. But she can't stop following the clues, and her determination to solve the mystery herself and prove her innocence may lead her somewhere she can't return from.