the Dark: A gripping new thriller for 2026 set in dark side of Manchester

In the dead of night, he’ll find you… In the dead of night, he’ll find you… Jess Mayor has never been afraid of the dark. Until now. When a night out ends in tragedy and a body pulled from the canal, everyone apart the victim’s family moves on. It was just an accident, wasn’t it? But how many bodies will it take before a connection is made? No witnesses, no signs of struggle, no hope of proving whether these were unnatural deaths. Until Jess Mayor gets the story under her skin. She’s spent all her life looking after other people – she’s a daughter, wife, mother, cleaner – but now she’s doing something for herself. And that means telling the story of the victims. But as Jess puts herself in danger in search of the truth, it will mean facing up to who really lurks in the shadows. And some things are better off left in the dark…