Melanie Hunter had a fine career as a palaeontologist. She was polite, friendly and well liked. So when she goes missing, it is completely out of character.

Melanie Hunter had a fine career as a palaeontologist. She was polite, friendly and well liked. So when she goes missing, it is completely out of character.

The men in her life come under suspicion: her boyfriend, her step-father, her neighbour with the shady past. And there is plenty to suspect: lies, half-truths, deceptions ... It seems that when you pull one thread, the whole fabric of family life can come apart.

Melanie had tried to be good, to make something of herself, and had succeeded pretty much. But something was wrong somewhere. Melanie had a secret, a pain she tried to hide from the world. Was it the secret that killed her? She was ever the sympathetic listener - but who was listening to her?

As Bill Slider is drawn into her shadowy world, he must find the answer to two questions: who loved Melanie? And who loved her too much?

"If you are unlucky enough to be murdered, pray that DI Slider is handed your case."

Kirkus Reviews

"Readers will find themselves gripped from first page to last."

Booklist

"Only a die-hard misanthrope would disdain a chance to spend time with Slider."

• Kirkus Reviews*