BOOK 2 · THE DCI SURINDER TAWS MYSTERIES
The Salt Wives
Some men are never brought to justice. Someone in Stonehaven has stopped waiting.
Ebook & paperback · Published 28 August 2026 by Rowanbrae Press
About the book
Darren Coates is found dead on the bedroom floor of his rented flat, surrounded by all the signs of a routine overdose. With a history of addiction and a chaotic home, everyone is ready to accept the obvious explanation.
DCI Surinder Taws isn’t convinced.
Fifty-two and newly transferred to the Aberdeenshire coast, Sindy has spent her career watching class, reputation and prejudice decide which victims are taken seriously. When she notices a puncture mark where no man would inject himself, she refuses to let Darren’s death be quietly filed away.
Then another man dies.
The victims appear to have nothing in common. But as Sindy digs deeper into the close-knit coastal community, she uncovers connections everyone else has missed – connections rooted in fear, silence and the women left behind. When a third death follows, coincidence becomes impossible.
Someone knows exactly who these men were behind closed doors. Someone with access to their homes, knowledge of their secrets and a method designed to make murder look like misadventure.
As the investigation widens, an old Stonehaven legend keeps resurfacing: the Salt Wives, women said to have endured violent husbands until fate finally intervened. But the folklore offers more than a name. It forces Sindy to confront a question she has spent years avoiding: what happens when the law knows what a man is capable of and still does nothing?
As another life hangs in the balance, Sindy must stop a killer whose motives she understands more than she’d ever admit – and decide whether justice and the law are always the same thing.
Atmospheric, compassionate and morally complex, The Salt Wives is the second DCI Surinder Taws mystery – a character-led Scottish police procedural for readers who know the hardest questions aren’t who killed, but why.
THE SETTING
Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire
A harbour town of fishing boats and granite walls, where everyone knows everyone – or thinks they do.
Sindy’s second case takes her beyond the clifftops and into the homes of Stonehaven itself: rented flats, family kitchens and the closed doors of a community that has learned to keep its own counsel. Running beneath it all is an old local story about the Salt Wives, and the women who were said to have waited out their husbands’ violence until fate stepped in.
Meet the detective
DCI Surinder Taws – Sindy – has spent her career watching class, reputation and prejudice decide which victims are taken seriously. She came to Stonehaven to escape her past, and now the town’s quieter cruelties are forcing her to face it. Smart, stubborn and unwilling to look away, she’s the detective who notices what everyone else is happy to miss.
New to the series? Start with The Crimson Keep, or meet Sindy before Stonehaven in The Returning Woman, the free prequel novella.
Perfect for readers of…
Ann Cleeves – rich regional settings, close-knit communities and slow-burn investigations that reward patience
Elly Griffiths – crime that weaves myth, legend and landscape into the mystery
LJ Ross – atmospheric British crime with a sense of place that feels like a character in itself
Rachel McLean – contemporary female detectives navigating real-world pressures alongside the case
Praise
Loved loved loved this. I have read The Crimson Keep and now The Salt Wives. Living in Scotland and having visited these places helps too. I cannot wait for the next Detective Surinder Taws mystery!
– ALCR, Amazon reader
Definitely a page turner.
– Jean, Amazon reader
In the series
The Returning Woman (prequel, free) – The Crimson Keep (Book 1) – The Salt Wives (Book 2)
Frequently asked questions
What is The Salt Wives about?
The Salt Wives is the second DCI Surinder Taws mystery by Rachel Bremner. When Darren Coates is found dead in his rented flat in Stonehaven, everyone assumes a routine overdose – except DCI Surinder Taws. As more men die, Sindy uncovers connections rooted in fear, silence and the women left behind, and an old local legend about the Salt Wives keeps resurfacing.
Do I need to read The Crimson Keep first?
No. The Salt Wives is a complete mystery with its own case and resolution, so you can start here. If you enjoy it, The Crimson Keep (Book 1) and The Returning Woman, the free prequel novella, fill in more of Sindy’s story.
What order should I read the DCI Surinder Taws books in?
Start with The Returning Woman (the free prequel novella), then The Crimson Keep (Book 1), then The Salt Wives (Book 2).
Where is The Salt Wives set?
Stonehaven, a harbour town on the Aberdeenshire coast in north-east Scotland – the same setting as The Crimson Keep.
Who is DCI Surinder Taws?
DCI Surinder Taws – Sindy – is a Punjabi Scottish detective in her early fifties who has transferred from Glasgow to the Aberdeenshire coast. She is sharp, stubborn, menopausal and not remotely interested in playing politics, and she has spent her career watching class, reputation and prejudice decide which victims are taken seriously.
What kind of crime novel is The Salt Wives?
A character-led Scottish police procedural: atmospheric, compassionate and morally complex. It suits readers of Ann Cleeves, Elly Griffiths and LJ Ross, and anyone who likes crime fiction where the hardest question isn’t who killed, but why.
When was The Salt Wives published, and in what formats?
The Salt Wives was published on 28 August 2026 by Rowanbrae Press. It is available on Amazon as a Kindle ebook and in paperback.
Don’t miss the next Sindy Taws mystery.
Sign up for occasional news from Rachel – new releases, behind-the-scenes glimpses of life on the Aberdeenshire coast, and the stories behind the stories. You’ll also get The Returning Woman, the free prequel novella, delivered to your inbox.
No spam. Just crime.