DI Thomas Lynley is still on compassionate leave after the murder of his wife. The discovery of a body in a Stoke Newington cemetery offers Isabelle Ardery, his temporary replacement at the Met, the chance to make her mark with a high profile murder investigation. Persuading Lynley back to work seems the best way to guarantee a result: Lynley’s team is fiercely loyal to him and Isabelle needs them – and especially Barbara Havers – on side. The Met is twitchy: a series of PR disasters has undermined its confidence. Isabelle knows that she’ll be operating under the unforgiving scrutiny of the media, so is quick – perhaps too quick – to pin the murder on a convenient suspect. The murder trail leads Lynley and Havers to the New Forest, and the eventual resolution of the case. Its roots are in a long-ago act of violence that has poisoned subsequent generations and its outcome is both tragic and shocking.

Elizabeth George’s masterly new novel brings Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley back onto centre stage in an intricate crime dramaAbout the AuthorElizabeth George is an Edgar and Macavity Nominee and an internationally bestselling author of highly acclaimed novels of psychological suspense. Her first novel, A Great Deliverance, was honoured with the Anthony and Agatha Best First Novel awards in America and received the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere in France. Her novels have been adapted for television by the BBC as the Inspector Lynley Mysteries.ReviewsMs George is the connoisseur’s crime writer * Sunday Express *The author writes brilliantly and has an incredible ability to set a scene and create characters you want to know more about * Sun *Terrific as always – and how great to have Lynley back on the force * Time Out *An intelligent book, clipped and precise, every word chosen with care . . . a cool, clever book that needs concentration and a sharp brain to unravel . . . Along the way to solving the crime we meet some finely drawn characters who emerge as real people with faults and frailties. Ms George is the connoisseur’s crime writer. Like fine wine, her words need to be savoured . . . Lynley is a policeman with a gentle touch and it is good to have him back on such brilliant form. * Sunday Express *This is crime writing at its finest * Saga *The author writes brilliantly and has an incredible ability to set a scene and create characters you want to know more about. * Sun *Terrific as always – and how great to have Lynley back on the force. * Time Out *Hurrah, another Inspector Lynley . . . This is crime writing at its finest. George’s books are long, solid and wonderfully crafted; she is a modern Dorothy L Sayers. * Saga *A spellbinding tale of mystery and murder * Books Monthly *Book InformationISBN 9781444711196Author Elizabeth GeorgeFormat PaperbackPage Count 736Imprint Hodder PaperbackPublisher Hodder & StoughtonWeight(grams) 583gDimensions(mm) 198mm * 130mm * 48mm