by Denise Mina
First published 1999
Maureen O'Donnell's life already feels stuck. Her job offers no future, and her relationship with Douglas, a mediocre psychotherapist, has reached its end. She decides to break things off with him for good. The next morning, she discovers Douglas in her living room with his throat slashed. Police view Maureen as unreliable and mark her as their prime suspect. Her alcoholic mother and selfish sisters also believe she played a role in Douglas's death. Everyone she trusts has turned against her, making Maureen question her own memory of events. Desperate to clear her name, she retraces Douglas's final days. Her investigation uncovers a web of rape, deception, and hidden scandal within a psychiatric hospital. But her search draws the killer's attention. Now Maureen must discover the truth before the murderer decides she knows too much.
Genres: mystery, crime, contemporary, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: deception, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Garnet Hill
Period: Contemporary
390 pages · Paperback · Meulenhoff-M
Content warnings: mental-illness