Susan Hill--the Man Booker Prize nominee and winner of the Whitbread,
Somerset Maugham, and John Llewellyn Rhys awards--returns with a
gripping new novel, the latest chapter in one of the most acclaimed
mystery series of our time. When Simon Serrailler is called in by
Lafferton's new Chief Constable, he is met by two plainclothes officers
who ask him to take the principal role in a difficult, potentially
dangerous undercover operation. He must leave town immediately, without
telling anyone--not even his girlfriend Rachel, who has only just moved
in with him. To complete his special operation, Simon must inhabit the
mind of the worst kind of criminal. This takes its toll on Simon and--
as the investigation unfolds--also on the town and some of its most
respected citizens.