First published 2003
Colonel James Lockyer-Fox discovers his wife Ailsa's body on the terrace of their ancestral estate in Shenstead, a village near Dorset's coast. She lies in only her nightgown, blood staining the ground nearby. The discovery on that cold winter morning shatters the rural peace and ignites village gossip. Neighbors whisper that James murdered his wife, but the Colonel remains stubbornly silent about the circumstances. He makes no effort to defend himself against the growing accusations. Family friend and lawyer Mark Ankerton travels to Dorset to support James through the crisis. As Mark investigates, he uncovers the dark secrets festering beneath Shenstead's picturesque surface. The village proves far more sinister than its charming appearance suggests. James's refusal to speak raises troubling questions about what really happened that morning and what he might be hiding about his wife's death.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: secrets, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Shenstead, Dorset
Period: 20th-century
480 pages · Hardcover · Goldmann