When a wealthy insurance executive is gutted with a garden tool amid his rhododendrons, a quiet Connecticut town bursts into the public eye. Rookie detective Donna Bradley, snubbed from the high-profile case, is saddled with an unrelated search for a teenage runaway. The girl’s parents—a beaten-down father mired in debt and an ailing mother—are mysteriously evasive. A reclusive Englishman seems to have an unhealthy interest in the girl.

As the town’s startling secrets are uncovered, Donna’s search for a killer becomes a search for herself, as the pressures of the investigation tear away her defenses.

“The Flies of August” unfolds through one hot, harrowing summer as the American recession drives rich and poor alike to desperate measures.

“Lee’s prose is elegant and evocative throughout…The pacing is swift and sure, with plot twists that keep readers’ interest without sacrificing credibility, and the momentum builds inexorably to an exciting, emotionally satisfying conclusion.” – Kirkus Reviews

“Now this is a story. Complex story line. Well developed, real, interesting characters. One of the best police novels I have had the pleasure to read.”

P. J. Lee grew up in South Africa, where he trained and worked as a journalist. He lived in England before moving to Connecticut in 2004, where “The Flies of August” is set. He is also the author of “On The Wild Coast” a novel set in post-apartheid South Africa.