A stand-alone thriller, insightful and with wry humour, it portrays the psychological downward spiral of the main character, budding author Carl, as a result of his actions and then “non” actions. A simple act has devastating consequences and Carl is open to blackmail. Scattered about the periphery of the central plot are several sub plots, some could easily have been more fleshed out and most have only tenuous connections to each other. This is the author’s last novel so it is perhaps a shame that it is not one of her best. But a new Ruth Rendell is always a treat and so I repeat it is just such a shame this is the last. ~ Sarah Broadhurst
A brilliantly dark and sinister novel of psychological suspense by Ruth Rendell, "e;unequivocally the most brilliant crime-writer of our time"e; (Patricia Cornwell).When Carl sells a box of slimming pills to his close friend Stacey, inadvertently causing her death, he sets in train a sequence of catastrophic events which begin with subterfuge, extend to lies, and culminate in murder. In Rendell's dark and atmospheric tale of psychological suspense, we encounter mistaken identity, kidnap, blackmail, and a cast of characters who are so real that we come to know them better than we know ourselves. Infused with her distinctive blend of wry humour, acute observation and deep humanity, this is Rendell at her most memorable and best.
