'Andrew Taylor is a master story-teller' Daily Telegraph

From the No.1 bestselling author of The Ashes of London and The Fire Court, this is the fourth instalment in the acclaimed Lydmouth series

The Korean war rumbles in the background throughout this novel as a reporter is found murdered at the Bathurst Arms, squatters are evicted from a military camp and there are new developments in the three-year-old hunt for a missing teenager. And in spite of all that's going on, Jill Francis, a local journalist, and DI Richard Thornhill find they can no longer resist their feelings for each other.

'An excellent writer. He plots with care and intelligence and the solution to the mystery is satisfyingly chilling' The Times

'The most under-rated crime writer in Britain today' Val McDermid

'There is no denying Taylor's talent, his prose exudes a quality uncommon among his contemporaries' Time Out

From the prize-winning author of Richard and Judy Book Club novel, The American Boy, this is the fourth in the acclaimed Lydmouth crime series, set on the Welsh/English border in the confusing years after the Second World War.

About the Author

Andrew Taylor is a British crime and historical novelist, winner of the Cartier Diamond Dagger (for lifelong excellence in the genre) and the triple winner of the Historical Dagger. His books include the Sunday Times bestsellers The Ashes of London and The Fire Court, the international bestseller The American Boy (a Richard and Judy selection); the Roth Trilogy (filmed for TV as Fallen Angel); the Lydmouth Series; the William Dougal Series, The Anatomy of Ghosts, shortlisted for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and The Scent of Death. He lives on the borders of England and Wales. He reviews for the Spectator and The Times.

For more information about Andrew Taylor and his books, see: www.andrew-taylor.co.uk or follow him on twitter: @andrewjrtaylor

Reviews
'The latest of Andrew Taylor's Lydmouth series of books, in which he has so effectively created the atmosphere of the 1950s...as usual with Taylor's stories, there is more to the puzzle than is immediately apparent. It's another satisfying read, in which the characters are as importants as the events and tension develops naturally, without contrivance' - Susanna Yager, Sunday Telegraph
Taylor is an excellent writer * The Times *
How skilfully he recreates the atmosphere of the time through innuendo, attitude and detail rather than dogged description... Taylor is the master of small lives writ large and, in the phrase coined in this era of surly pubs and poor food, he has carved a classic detective story which is deceptively calm and cool, but really smashing * Frances Fyfield, Express *
'Andrew Taylor does not fall into the trap of mistaking drama for melodrama. Nor does he suffer from the insecure urge to say too much. Understatement is the rule of his Lydmouth novels, set in the Fifties and evoking the post-war restraint of that era without allowing anyone to notice quite how skilfully he re-creates the atmosphere of the time through innuendo, attitude and detail rather than dogged description... Taylor is the master of the small lives writ large and, in the phrase coined in this era of surly pubs and poor food, he has carved a detective story whch is deceptively calm and cool, but really smashing' Frances Fyfield, The Express
'The latest of Andrew Taylor's Lydmouth series of books, in which he has so effectively created the atmosphere of the 1950s, with its genteel drabness and carefully preserved hierarchy of relationships . . . Is another satisfying read, in which the characters are as important as the events and tension develops naturally without contrivance. * Susanna Yager, Sunday Telegraph *
'Excellent classic mystery set in early 1950s Lydmouth' - The Guardian
Marvellously creepy * Frances Fyfield, Mail on Sunday *
'Marvellously creepy' Frances Fyfield, Mail on Sunday
'All the ingredients of a classic murder mystery...an excellent whodunnit that keeps you guessing right until the end' - Yorkshire Evening Post



Book Information
ISBN 9780340695982
Author Andrew Taylor
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint Hodder Paperback
Publisher Hodder & Stoughton
Weight(grams) 270g
Dimensions(mm) 179mm * 111mm * 26mm