Book cover with ten objects forming a skull

An unexpected gem

Phosphate Rocks: A Death in Ten Objects

A Death in Ten Objects

When the old chemical works in Leith are demolished, a long deceased body is uncovered. Seated at a card table, encrusted in phosphate rock, ten objects are positioned in front of the mummified corpse.

DI Rose Irving from Police Scotland is tasked with making sense of this eerie scene, and sets out to find someone familiar with the history of the site.

Enter retired shift foreman John Gibson, a veritable mine of information. DI Irving certainly gets more than she bargained for: a history of technology, a lesson in chemistry and an unusual insight into the people who worked in Edinburgh’s last fertiliser factory on Leith Docks.

Who was the victim? How did he die? What is the significance of the ten objects that surround him? And how reliable is the chief witness?

Series: Police Procedurals

Formats available: Paperback, eBook, Audiobook

First published: 01/02/24

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Reviews for Phosphate Rocks: A Death in Ten Objects

‘An original and fascinating combination of memoir and crime novel.’

Literary Review

‘Quite possibly the best mystery novelist ever to have taken up the quill in the name of chemistry.’

Engineering and Technology

‘Phosphate Rocks rocks! I’m not sure how Fiona Erskine pulled this one off but it’s kind of mesmerising, and I speak as a science-moron. The weaving of stories and science really pulls the whole thing together. Bravo!’

Trevor Wood

‘A pacy murder mystery which also offers a fascinating insight into the workings of an industrial plant.’

Undiscovered Scotland

‘A brilliant book with a perfect mix of mystery, science, facts and great characters!’

MrsJTea blog

‘Phosphate Rocks, currently my book of the year. It will take something incredible to top this one.’

Grab This Book

‘An absolutely compelling read, clever and inventive, but with a deeply engrossing human story at the heart of it.’

Lesley Kelly

‘Brilliant… This is a book that defies genre and expectations.’

Books in Steel City

‘A quirky read blending science, history and crime in a novel with plenty intrigue and suspense… A clever book, very entertaining and something that bit different in the crime genre.’

Portobello Book Blog

‘Utterly fascinating’

Ramblingmads blog