The Shadow Carver, the fourth book in the Inspector Anjelica Henley series, finds detective Henley on the trail of a murderer who is scalping victims and leaving them for dead in this terrifying page-turner that will keep you up all night.
Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from The Shadow Carver by Nadine Matheson, which releases on March 10th 2026.
When a string of grisly murders begins painting the city in terror, DI Henley soon realise a vigilante killer is scalping their victims before leaving them for dead. Henley is thrust into a web of secrets, unravelling connections between the victims while battling demons from her own past.
As the killer raises the stakes, the line between predator and prey begins to blur. With time slipping away and her own life in jeopardy, Henley must outwit a psychopath who views murder as an art form. Can she hunt them down before the final stroke of the scalpel closes the case forever?
PROLOGUE
4 March 2013
Ealing, London
He can breathe today. Every exhale and inhale no longer felt as though barbed wire was being dragged across his lungs, but it’s still painful to open his swollen eyes. He tries to focus but all he can see is shadows. He can’t see her, but he can smell her. He gazes at the shadow which he knows is his wife, Deborah. Family and friends no longer pop in for a chat and a drink or to sit idly in the garden on the long summer nights but instead visit him as a patient. They talk in hushed, pained and pitiful whispers; unsure how to sit in a room that is no longer used for living but for end-of-life care.
The leather creaks as Deborah rises from the armchair.
‘He looks like he’s turned a corner,’ Deborah whispers and gently places a hand on his leg. ‘The doctor came by this morning and was really pleased.’
‘We often find patients make a vast improvement when they’re being cared for at home. Less stress, familiar smells.’
He feels gloved fingers rest on the dry and flaccid skin on his right arm and he smiles. He knows her touch. His nurse. ‘Sian. Knew that you couldn’t resist me,’ he says.
‘How could anyone resist you. You’re a superstar,’ Sian replies as she places the blood pressure cuff around his arm.
He can sense the smile in her voice. It has occurred to him, more than once, that there aren’t many people in the world who make you feel seen. Sian never treats him as another item to tick off her itinerary. He winces as the machine sings and the cuff tightens around his arm.
‘There we go,’ Sian says brightly as the cuff on his arm quickly depresses. ‘All done.’
‘And I’m still here,’ he replies.
‘Of course, you’re still here,’ Sian says gently as she steps back and records his blood pressure and pulse readings in his chart.
‘Are you staying over?’ he asks, eagerness managing to break through the hoarseness.
‘I told my husband I was spending the night with another man.’
He smiles as he heard his wife, laughing for the first time in weeks.
‘Unfortunately, you’re not my only bit on the side,’ Sian says. ‘I’ve got other patients to see this afternoon, but I’ll be back.’’
Sian clears a space on the kitchen island and lays out the vials of medication, sealed packets of needles and syringes.
‘Are you sure I can do this?’ Deborah asks anxiously as she pushes aside the shopping bags she hasn’t had a chance to unpack.
‘You’ll be fine. You’ve been practising and I have faith in you,’ Sian replies, picking up a vial. ‘This is the easy one. Morphine, which you will deliver orally in three hours. How many mils?’
‘Five,’ Deborah answers nervously.
Sian smiles with approval as she picks a second vial. ‘Warfarin,’ she says. ‘You will inject 5mil into his thigh. What do you need to do before you inject?’
Deborah straightens herself and places her hands – her fingernails bitten to the quick – on the island as though she needs the extra support.
‘Check for air bubbles in the syringe and if there are any I should . . .—’ Deborah pauses as doubt fills her eyes.
Sian nods encouragingly.
‘Hold the syringe up, gently tap it and wait for them to rise to the top. Then I will push the plunger until the air bubbles are gone. Double check the dosage and then inject,’ says Deborah.
‘I promise you everything will be fine,’ Sian reassures her. ‘I’ll be back at 8.30 p.m. and you can finally get a decent night’s sleep.’
‘I don’t know what we would we do without you,’ Deborah says as she grabs Sian and hugs her both with relief and gratitude. ‘You’re an angel.’
The sirens are now silent but the sharp wailing of a woman falling into grief can be heard on the street. A curtain in the upstairs window of the house on the opposite side of the street twitches as the front door of number 25 opens. A paramedic walks out with no sense of urgency. A silver BMW, its engine quiet, drives at speed and brakes sharply outside number 25, blocking the driveway. From her position, next to a large Ash tree on the opposite side of the street, Sian can see and hear everything. The car door opens, and a man attempts to exit but he hasn’t unclipped his seatbelt and he’s forced back. He finally releases it and stumbles out of the car as the door of number 27 opens and a young woman steps out, barefooted, into her front garden.
‘What’s happened?’ she asks.
‘It’s Dad,’ the man replies as he runs throughs the open door of number 25. Sian places her hand against her chest to slow down the rapid pace of her heart. She knows exactly what happened at number 25. Her patient’s body had grown rigid 15 minutes after he’d ingested the strychnine that had been mixed into the vial of morphine, which she will later replace with the untampered bottle in her pocket. His muscles had spasmed and he’d become hyperaware as the poison invaded his nervous system and his already damaged kidneys began to fail. His eyes had protruded and grown bloodshot as he began to convulse. His pale and fragile skin had turned blue as his blood stopped feeding oxygen to his skin. Death was not quick. Sian checks her watch: 8.23 p.m. She could have been at his side ten minutes before the poison took hold of his body but that would mean she would have had to perform her duty; to save him. Sian Fox-Carnell was not that sort of angel.
The Chronicle
18 June 2014
Annabeth Lawson
Nurse charged with the murder
A district nurse has appeared at Tower Bridge Magistrate’s Court charged with the murder of two patients who were under her care.
Sian Fox-Carnell, 35, from Willesden Green has also been charged with two counts of attempted murder. All offences are said to have taken place over the course of six months.
The Homicide and Murder Enquiry Team South began an investigation into Sian Fox-Carnell after the death of television presenter, Leonard Calgary, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer three years ago, and retired charity worker Adesina Onyeka. Fox-Carnell was changed with the attempted murders of primary school headteacher, Tabitha Gladstone and 19-yearold psychology student, Jorge Menjivar following a report of suspected
poisoning.
Fox-Carnell, who was dressed in a grey police station issued tracksuit, appeared in the dock before District Judge Kalyani and spoke only to confirm her name, date of birth and address. Fox-Carnell was not asked to enter any pleas to the four charges against her. Several members of the victims’ families were removed from the public gallery in Court One after they ignored the judge’s directions to remain silent and screamed obscenities at Fox-Carnell.
Marcus Valder, prosecuting, told the court that the CPS had authorised a further charge of arson with intent to endanger life. The judge remanded Ms Fox-Carnell in custody to appear at the Central Criminal Court on 19 June 2014.
Fox-Carnell had been working at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital since graduating in 2003 and became a district nurse in 2010. Jorge Menjivar who attended court with his parents said he was ‘lucky to survive’ and described Fox-Carnell as ‘more evil than the cancer that was once in my body’.
The Chronicle
13 October 2021
Annabeth Lawson
Court of Appeal overturns Sian Fox-Carnell’s murder convictions
A former nurse found guilty of two counts of murder and the attempted murder of two other patients under her care by overdosing them with prescribed medication and the poison strychnine has had her convictions overturned.
Sian Fox-Carnell will now face a retrial after judges ruled new evidence had emerged that was not heard in the first trial and that the original forensic evidence could not be relied upon. Since the closure of the Forensic Science Services in 2012, forensic work has been contracted to the private sector. LFJ Forensic Services was used by many units , within the Metropolitan Police. Toxicology reports in the Fox-Carnell investigation were prepared by Dr Ian Fry who oversaw the criminal division of LFJ Forensic Services from 2007-2019.
Earlier this year Dr Fry, who had previously worked for the FSS, was charged with misconduct in a public office and fraud after an investigation into the falsification of forensic reports. It’s also alleged Dr Fry falsified records and accepted bribes in a case that led to the wrongful conviction of the late Andrew Streeter, twenty-five years ago. Dr Ian Fry will stand trial at Southwark Crown Court early next year.
Fox-Carnell, now aged 42, was found guilty of two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder at the Central Criminal Court in April 2015. She was sentenced to four separate life sentences with a 23-year tariff. She had served six years of her sentence.
Fox-Carnell broke down in tears and collapsed at court when Lady Justice Carr delivered the judgement.
The new director of Public Prosecutions, Dame Stella Gibbons, issued a statement outside of court that the CPS will be seeking a retrial and that Her Majesty’s Court Service had assured her that the trial date will be expedited.
Ms Martin, Fox-Carnell’s solicitor, said they were delighted that the convictions were quashed and that they were looking forward to the retrial which would successfully absolve Fox-Carnell. ‘Ms Fox-Carnell was and remains a woman of good character and she should be able to prepare for her trial without any restrictions on her liberty. We will be applying for bail in due course,’ her statement added.
Excerpted from The Shadow Carver by Nadine Matheson. © 2026 by Nadine Matheson, used with permission from HarperCollins/Hanover Square Press.
