by Jo Walton
First published 2006
David Kahn arrives at the Eversley family estate expecting a quiet weekend with his wife Lucy. Instead, he discovers her father, Lord James Thirkie, murdered in his study with a yellow star pinned to his chest. Detective Inspector Carmichael leads the investigation, but David quickly becomes the obvious suspect. He is Jewish, he argued with Thirkie the night before, and the political climate makes him an easy target. This Britain struck peace with Hitler in 1941, and fascist sympathies now poison the government. Lucy watches her husband face mounting evidence while she uncovers family secrets that implicate people she has known her entire life. Carmichael must navigate political pressure from superiors who want a quick resolution. The case forces all three to confront how far their country has fallen and what they will sacrifice to survive in a world where justice bends to political convenience.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, political-thriller, alternate-history
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: England, Great Britain
Period: 1949
319 pages · Hardcover · Tor Books