From the CWA Gold Dagger Awardβwinning author of Blacklands: A βgripping, unsettlingβ thriller about a young British girl coming face-to-face with evil (Bella).
Β
On the beaches and cliffs of North Devon, England, vulnerable women have become the victims of a series of shocking crimes. Forced to strip naked and then call their families to say goodbye, they are the losers in a madmanβs cruel and deadly gameΒ .Β .Β .
Β
At the age of ten, Ruby Trick knows little of the horrors of the world. Her fears are much closer to home: school bullies, the dark forest that surrounds her crumbling house, and the threat of her parentsβ divorce. When her father joins the hunt for the killer terrorizing their seaside town, Ruby tries to help in the hopes of keeping him close. But she soon learns that real evil is much scarier than the things that go bump in the night.
Β
βBauer at her bestΒ .Β .Β . The true heir to the great Ruth Rendell.β βThe Mail on Sunday
Β
βThe novel lingers in the mind like an unwelcome guest, albeit one with a dark sense of humorΒ .Β .Β . Powerful, compelling reading.β βThe Spectator
Β
βBelinda Bauerβs thrillers are always compelling, always original, always brilliant. I will rush to read anything she writes.β βMark Billingham
βBlends a murder mystery with a blackly comic look at the gradual erosion of βnormalβ family life. You wonβt want to put it down.β βBella