Upstairs, in the room looking out to sea, the old man dictates wills, leaving things he no longer has to friends who are long dead. His children, who look after him, can cope with his senility, and thought there was nothing more to learn about his erratic life-style.

When Roderick Cotterel hears from his illegitimate half-sister he is intrigued, even charmed: she is the daughter of his father, the distinguished novelist Benedict Cotterel, by the famous actress Myra Mason. She is writing a book about her mother, and is looking for material. The affair between the two had been a gutter press sensation back in the 'sixties, but the embers have long since cooled. However, when Cordelia and her boyfriend arrive and begin research for the book both Roderick and his wife begin to have doubts. And when their peaceful Sussex village is threatened by a visit from an almost suspiciously friendly Myra Mason, they realize they have got into something from which it would require superhuman delicacy and tact to extricate themselves. In the event somebody solves their problems in a way that is neither tactful nor delicate, though it certainly is final.

'He never takes the easy path of repeating a winning formula.' Time Magazine

About the Author
Robert Barnard is a well-established crime writer. He has won the prestigious Nero Wolfe Award as well as the Anthony, Agatha and Macavity Awards, has been nominated eight times for the Edgar Award and was the winner of the 2003 CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger Award for a lifetime of achievement. He has also written crime novels under the pseudonym of Bernard Bastable. He lives with his wife in Leeds and has had over 45 titles published in the UK and US.


Book Information
ISBN 9781447239802
Author Robert Barnard
Format Paperback
Page Count 184
Imprint Macmillan Bello
Publisher Pan Macmillan
Weight(grams) 290g
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 156mm * 11mm