The ninth novel in the Vera Stanhope series, from the No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller Ann Cleeves, sees Vera having to solve a classic country house mystery with a contemporary twist.
Driving home during a swirling blizzard, Vera Stanhope's only thought is to get there quickly. But the snow is so heavy, she becomes disoriented and loses her way. Ploughing on, she sees a car slewed off the road ahead of her. With the driver's door open, Vera assumes the driver has sought shelter but when she inspects the car she is shocked to find a young toddler strapped in the back seat.
Afraid they will freeze, Vera takes the child and drives on, arriving at Brockburn, a run-down stately home she immediately recognizes as the house her father Hector grew up in. Inside Brockburn a party is in full swing, with music and laughter to herald the coming Christmas. But outside in the snow, a young woman lies dead and Vera knows immediately she has a new case.
Could this woman be the child's mother, and if so, what happened to her?
Crime and mystery fiction
Paperback
Ann Cleeves
416 pages
H: 197mm W: 130mm Spine: 27mm
Weight: 298 grams