Part of Inspector Banks, book 5
First published 2000
Three days before Christmas, Chief Inspector Alan Banks arrives at a crime scene that will define his holiday season. Caroline Hartley lies dead in her Yorkshire village home, stabbed and surrounded by blood. The beautiful woman had recently left her past behind for a new romance, creating puzzles that now mystify Banks and his investigation. Caroline's life was built on secrets, and those same secrets led to her violent death. Banks knows that hidden truths often turn deadly, and this case proves his theory correct. As the Christmas season unfolds around him, Banks works to separate the guilty from the innocent. He must uncover each piece of Caroline's complicated story before the killer strikes again. The investigation draws him deeper into a web of relationships and lies that threaten to claim more victims. In a season meant for forgiveness and generosity, Banks faces a murderer who shows neither quality.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Yorkshire
Period: Christmas
384 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Avon