by Andrew Garve
First published 1981
Max Easterbrook steps off the train in London expecting a reunion with his dear friend George Lambert. Instead, he finds George sitting in jail, accused of killing his wife Hilda. The police have built what seems like an airtight case. George was having an affair with a young nurse. Hilda appeared to be a gentle woman who had made no enemies. The evidence points in one direction. But Max refuses to accept that his friend could be a murderer. He begins his own investigation, searching for anything that might cast doubt on the official story. Each lead he follows seems to strengthen the case against George rather than weaken it. The deeper Max digs, the more isolated he becomes in his belief in George's innocence. He faces a terrible possibility that loyalty and friendship might be blinding him to an ugly truth about someone he thought he knew completely.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: friends-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: London
Period: 20th-century
Hardcover · HarperCollins