You're trapped underground. There's no way out. And there's a killer on the loose...

'Full of twists and amazing turns that will have you guessing till the very end!' reader review

When former Detective Inspector Jess boards the London Underground, it should be just a few short stops home. But as the tube barrels towards Baker Street, it's brought to an abrupt stop, and they're plunged into the darkness.

And then she hears the screeching.

Jess pushes through into the driver's cabin. There, she finds his lifeless body, and stab wounds in his neck, still bleeding.

With no escape from the train, and in the pitch black, Jess is thrust into a deadly game. In a race against the unknown murderer, Jess must unravel the sinister truth before the killer commuter strikes again...

A nail-biting, addictive thriller, perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Sarah Pearse.

'I was hooked from the first page!' reader review

'Kept me totally captivated...addictive' reader review

'My heart was pounding...I absolutely dreaded what was going to happen next' reader review

the must-read chilling new locked room debut crime thriller of 2025

About the Author

Stephanie Steel lives in Manchester, where she was born and raised. After spending her twenties down in London and some time in Sydney, Australia, she moved back home, where she's been settled ever since with her partner and dog, Butter. When not writing she works for a food consultancy, putting her years as a chef to good use, and in her spare time can usually be found reading, hassling the dog, and watching Law & Order and Real Housewives.

Reviews

'A compelling locked room murder mystery with an unpredictable twist you won't easily forget.' Dandy Smith, author of The Wrong Daughter

'Plenty of breadcrumb clues and red herrings to keep you guessing....a satisfying mystery all tried up in a perfect bow.' Sarah Goodwin, author of The Private Jet

'A plot so tightly packed with shocks that you can taste the claustrophobia.' Diane Saxon, author or My Mother's Lies

'A brilliantly taut setup: victim, murderer and the woman trying to get to the truth trapped together in a tube carriage. I was hooked from page one.' Andy Maslen, international best-selling author of the Detective Kat Ballantyne series.

'A fun update on a classic crime format. This is a high-octane murder mystery with a Twenty-First Century spin. Clever use of the usual suspects who you'd meet on a late-night London tube train as suspects and a stopped train carriage as the setting. The kissing teenagers, the slurring drunks, the fatigued business people. One of them is a killer, and a passenger who's a former police inspector sets out to solve this claustrophobic crime. Great fun and a pacy read.' Chris Bridges, author of Sick to Death

'This was a cracking read and so totally original. It had me hooked from the first page to the last. And the ending was a real shocker. Highly recommend it.' Alex Pine, author of Killer in the Cold

'I was hooked from the first page!' reader review

'Kept me totally captivated...addictive' reader review

'My heart was pounding...I absolutely dreaded what was going to happen next' reader review

Book Information
ISBN 9780008735210
Author Stephanie Steel
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint AVON, a division of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 220g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 21mm