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  • Don't Turn Back

Don't Turn Back

Detective Karen Hart #3 / 12
by D. S. Butler
Don't Turn Back (Detective Karen Hart #3) by D. S. Butler
Unrated

You can cover up the truth but it won’t stay buried forever.

A man is found bludgeoned to death in woodland by the village of Canwick, and the close-knit community is sent into shock. Detective Karen Hart, still haunted by the tragic loss of her husband and daughter nearby, is brought in to investigate the horrific murder.

It soon becomes clear that dark secrets lie behind Canwick’s unspoiled appearance. When Hart begins to suspect that a modern-day slavery ring has been hiding in plain sight among the villagers, she faces a race to find proof before the culprits slip from her grasp. But when key witnesses start disappearing, it’s obvious that there’s a deep-rooted conspiracy to keep prying eyes away from the truth.

But in a village where everyone knows everyone, who knows more than they are letting on—and who can Hart really trust? She’s in deep and she’s never been more alone. She must confront the tragedy of her own past if she wants to catch the killers before it’s too late. Because one thing’s for certain—there’s no turning back…

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ThrillerMysteryCrime FictionAdult
Release date: March 26, 2020

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D. S. Butler

D. S. Butler

D. S. Butler doesn’t just write crime fiction—she deconstructs it with the precision of a scientist and the curiosity of someone who knows that the most dangerous secrets often hide in plain sight.

Before her novels ever found a home on bestseller lists, Butler (whose real name is Danica Britton) was elbow-deep in lab research. With a PhD in biochemistry and a career that once wove through hospital pathology labs and the University of Oxford, she was trained to ask questions, examine evidence, and look closer. Those same instincts now pulse through her thrillers—only the microscopes have been traded for murder scenes, and the puzzles involve motives instead of molecules.

Read more ...

Her best-known work, the Detective Karen Hart series, is set in the rural landscapes of Lincolnshire—a setting that’s deceptively quiet, echoing with unresolved trauma and buried truths. In books like Bring Them Home and House of Lies, Butler pulls readers into layered investigations where justice is complicated, and the past is never truly gone. The emotional depth of her protagonists, paired with tightly controlled suspense, has helped the series become a mainstay for fans of British police procedurals.

Butler’s style is unmistakable: restrained yet immersive, with a focus on character psychology and procedural accuracy. Whether unraveling the inner workings of a detective’s mind or peeling back the layers of a small town’s collective guilt, her stories always feel grounded—and just a little too real.

She also writes under the names Dani Oakley and Danica Britton, exploring different aspects of crime and suspense fiction. Under those identities, she’s delved into psychological thrillers (Her Missing Daughter), domestic noir, and gritty East End dramas—each voice distinct, but tied together by an underlying fascination with human behavior under pressure.

Though she's now a bestselling author with a growing global readership, Butler still writes with the intimacy of someone telling a secret one sentence at a time. She lives in the UK but has spent time abroad, including in the Middle East, experiences that continue to shape the way she views people, power, and place.

For readers who appreciate crime fiction that prioritizes nuance over noise—and stories that value sharp observation over shock—D. S. Butler offers a slow burn that’s impossible to ignore.

Detective Karen Hart

In the misty corners of the English countryside, Detective Karen Hart stands as a quiet force against the darkness that lurks beneath the surface of seemingly peaceful towns. With a sharp mind and an unyielding commitment to justice, she unravels cases that are as complex as they are chilling.

The Detective Karen Hart series plunges readers into a world where the past never quite stays buried, and every new case threatens to reveal more than just a criminal. Each investigation offers more than a whodunit—it's an exploration of the human psyche, the secrets we keep, and the lengths we'll go to protect them. Whether it's a missing person, a gruesome murder, or a long-forgotten cold case, Karen Hart brings a unique blend of grit and empathy to the investigation, pushing her to uncover truths even when they seem too dark to face.

Read more ...

As the series unfolds, Hart's journey is one of both professional triumph and personal struggle. Each case tests her resolve, bringing her face-to-face with the demons of her past while forging an unbreakable determination to see justice done. The characters she encounters along the way are as layered as the mysteries they hide, and the atmospheric settings only add to the tension, making every twist feel even more taut and unpredictable.

The series is as much about unraveling the puzzle as it is about discovering what drives Karen Hart herself—her vulnerability, her resilience, and the cost of being someone who always seeks the truth, no matter the consequences. Each book in the series builds on the last, creating a compelling narrative of growth, redemption, and the unrelenting pursuit of justice in a world that often seems indifferent to it.

For fans of taut, psychological crime thrillers, Detective Karen Hart is an irresistible dive into a world where secrets have teeth, and sometimes, the truth is the most dangerous thing to uncover.


Detective Karen Hart consists of eleven books and series is set to expand with the upcoming release of one more book. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.

Bring Them Home (Detective Karen Hart #1)
Unrated
Where Secrets Lie (Detective Karen Hart #2)
Unrated
Don't Turn Back (Detective Karen Hart #3)
Unrated
House of Lies (Detective Karen Hart #4)
Unrated
On Cold Ground (Detective Karen Hart #5)
Unrated
What She Said (Detective Karen Hart #6)
Unrated
Find Her Alive (Detective Karen Hart #7)
Unrated
Before the Dawn (Detective Karen Hart #8)
⧗ 8.00 / 1
Leave No Trace (Detective Karen Hart #9)
⧗ 8.00 / 1
In Plain Sight (Detective Karen Hart #10)
⧗ 8.00 / 1
See No Evil (Detective Karen Hart #11)
⧗ 8.00 / 1
Lie To Me (Detective Karen Hart #12)
⧗ 9.34 / 3


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