'Complex, with lots of sinister implications... moves the traditional crime novel on to some deeper level of exploration' Jane Jakeman, Independent

It is 1970. David Byfield, a widowed parish priest with a dark past and a darker future, brings home a new wife to Roth. Throughout the summer, the consequences of the marriage reverberate through a village now submerged in a sprawling London suburb.

Blinded by lust, Byfield is oblivious to the dangers that lie all about him: the menopausal churchwarden with a hopeless passion for her priest; his beautiful, neglected teenage daughter Rosemary; and the sinister presence of Frances Youlgreave - poet, opium addict and suicide - whose power stretches beyond the grave.

Soon the murders and blasphemies begin. But does the responsibility lie in the present or the past? And can Byfield, a prisoner of his own passion, break through to the truth before the final tragedy destroys what he most cherishes?

About the Author

Andrew Taylor is the award-winning author of a number of crime novels, including the Dougal series, the Lydmouth books, and The Barred Window. He and his wife live with their children in the Forest of Dean.

Reviews

'An intelligent, exciting psychological drama... A powerful feeling of something nasty just around the corner prevails'
Daily Mail

'This author knows precisely how to wield suspense'
Independent

'Taylor is a major thriller talent'
Time Out

Book Information
ISBN 9780007105106
Author Andrew Taylor
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint HarperCollins
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 210g
Dimensions(mm) 178mm * 111mm * 24mm