'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 fifth instalment in the acclaimed Lydmouth series

When Mattie Harris's body is found drowned in the river, everyone in Lydmouth knows something is wrong. Mattie wasn't a swimmer - it can't have been a simple accident. She was drunk on the last night of her life - could she have fallen in? Or was she pushed?

Mattie was a waitress, of no importance at all, so when Lydmouth's most prominent citizens become very anxious to establish that her death was accidental, Jill Francis's suspicions become roused. In the meantime she is becoming ever closer to Inspector Richard Thornhill, and discovering that the living have as many secrets as the dead...

'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

The latest atmospheric crime novel set in the Marches in the years after WWII.

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 people depicted here are real and believable and the drabness and genteel facade of Fifties England is skilfully brought to life. Taylor is, as always, adept at showing the reality beneath the surface, as the characters interact and the unsavoury truth behind the murder is gradually revealed * Sunday Telegraph *
'Excellent Lydmouth mysteries' Play
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 * Frances Fyfield, Express on The Suffocating Night *
'He writes terribly well' Glasgow Evening Times
Taylor is an excellent writer * The Times *
'Does full justice to Andrew Taylor's reputation as on of the greatest award winning crime writers of our time' Bangor Chronicle
What makes these novels transcend the average mystery is the author's uncanny ability to create another era so comprehensively that the reader is walking along the same pavements and driving the same cars * Independent *



Book Information
ISBN 9780340696002
Author Andrew Taylor
Format Paperback
Page Count 432
Imprint Hodder Paperback
Publisher Hodder & Stoughton
Weight(grams) 299g
Dimensions(mm) 177mm * 111mm * 26mm