The first novel in the Lindsay Gordon series - a gripping and thrilling page-turner, starring a self-proclaimed 'cynical socialist lesbian feminist journalist' - from the number one bestseller Val McDermid.

Freelance journalist Lindsay Gordon is strapped for cash. Why else would she agree to cover a fund-raising gala at a girls' public school? But when the star attraction is found garrotted with her own cello string minutes before she is due on stage, Lindsay finds herself investigating a vicious murder.

Who would have wanted Lorna Smith Cooper dead? Who had the key to the locked room in which her body was found? And who could have slipped out of the hall at just the right time to commit this calculated and cold-blooded crime?

'The Queen of Crime reigns' Independent

'McDermid remains unrivalled . . . Brilliant' Observer

The gripping and twisty thriller from the bestselling author of the Allie Burns and Karen Pirie series

About the Author

Val McDermid grew up in a Scottish mining community then read English at Oxford. She was a journalist for sixteen years, spending the last three as Northern Bureau Chief of a national Sunday tabloid. She is now a full-time writer and divides her time between Cheshire and Northumberland.

Reviews

Praise for Val McDermid:

'The real mistress of psychological gripping thrillers; no one can plot or tell a story like she can' Daily Express

'The Queen of Crime reigns' Independent

'McDermid remains unrivalled . . . Brilliant' Observer

'With the deaths of PD James and Ruth Rendell, Val McDermid is the obvious successor as Britain's Queen of Crime. For me, she has already held that title for many years.' The Times

'McDermid still writes with the telltale verve that's won her the accolade queen of psychological thrillers' Guardian

'No one rivals Val McDermid's skill at writing truly terrifying thrillers' goodhousekeeping.co.uk

'Move over V.I. Warshawski' Options

'McDermid has created a complex and prickly detective. The relationship intertwines a realistic romance with a solid detective story.' Washington Times

'[She is] fresh and funny with a sparkling sense of time and place' Literary Review

Book Information
ISBN 9780007191741
Author V. L. McDermid
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint HarperCollins
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 220g
Dimensions(mm) 178mm * 111mm * 22mm