Book description
In the small Hampshire village of Sowerbridge, Irish labourer Patrick
O'Riordan has been arrested for the brutal murder of elderly Lavinia
Fanshaw and her live-in nurse, Dorothy Jenkins. As shock turns to fury,
the village residents form a united front against Patrick's parents and
cousin, who report incidents of vicious threats and violence. But friend
and neighbour Siobhan Lavenham remains convinced that Patrick has fallen
victim to a prejudiced investigation and, putting her own position
within the bigoted community in serious jeopardy, stands firmly by his
family in defence of the O'Riordan name. Days before the trial, terrible
secrets about the O'Riordans' past are revealed to Siobhan, and the
family's only supporter is forced to question her loyalties. Could
Patrick be capable of murder after all? Could his parents' tales of
attacks be devious fabrications? And if so, what other lies lurk beneath
the surface of their world? As the truth rapidly unfurls, it seems that
Sowerbridge residents need to be very afraid. For beneath a cunning
façade, someone's chilling ambition is about to ignite . . .
Minette Walters is a bestselling female crime writer. She has
written 11 novels and has won the CWA John Creasey Award, the Edgar
Allan Poe Award and two CWA Gold Daggers for Fiction. Minette Walters
lives in Dorset with her husband and two children.
