Fans of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon will devour this enthralling mystery of deception, doubt and death from multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell ...

'Probably the greatest crime writer in the world' -- Ian Rankin
'[Wexford] has become an old friend who gets better with age' -- Herald
'Pacy and surprising right to the last page' -- ***** Reader review
'You cannot go wrong with a Ruth Rendell' -- ***** Reader review
'Extremely thrilling and entertaining' -- ***** Reader review
'Full of twists and turns' -- ***** Reader review
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Sir Manuel Camargue, Kingsmarkham's very own celebrity flautist, dies tragically on a snowy night. His death is met with a ruling of misadventure and appears to be an open-and-shut-case. However Wexford, as the investigating officer, has a few niggling doubts.

Nineteen years later, Camargue's entrancing daughter, Natalie, now a considerable heiress, suddenly reappears in Kingsmarkham. When her fiancé appeals to Wexford for help, believing that Natalie is using a false identity, the case of the Camargues is once more under investigation.

Events soon take a gruesome twist and the pressure is on for Wexford to discover Natalie's true identity and to solve the mystery of the Camargue family, once and for all.