Part of Inspector Lynley, book 5
First published 1992
Elena Weaver presents contradictions that puzzle everyone who meets her. She wears tight clothing and jewelry that suggest experience, yet decorates her Cambridge dorm room with unicorn posters. Her mother worries from London while her father and stepmother each see different versions of the girl. Elena pursues intense relationships and nurses private grudges until someone kills her during her daily morning run. St. Stephen's College bypasses local authorities and calls New Scotland Yard. Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers arrive to investigate. They discover Elena's relationships reveal hidden motives among those closest to her. A questionable Swedish Shakespeare professor emerges as a suspect. The head of the Deaf Students Union harbors dark feelings. Elena's father, a Cambridge professor seeking promotion, carries secrets from his past that shaped his devotion to his daughter and blinded him to her faults. His current struggles push him toward betrayal as the investigation unfolds.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, contemporary, thriller, academic
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Cambridge, London, Scotland Yard, St. Stephen's College
Period: Contemporary
388 pages · Hardcover · Bantam
Content warnings: death, murder