Publisher's Synopsis
THE FOURTH NOVEL IN THE MULTIMILLION-COPY BESTSELLING ADAM DALGLIESH SERIES FROM THE 'QUEEN OF ENGLISH CRIME' (Guardian)
'Kept guessing until the final pages! Read in one go. Totally unputdownable. Ready to read the next one.' 5* reader review
'Plenty of scrupulously laid false trails, credible detectives and a totally unexpected ending.' Sunday Telegraph
'P. D. James at the top or her form, the twisting plot laid out with clarity and an acid wit.' 5* reader review
PERFECT FOR FANS OF VAL MCDERMID, RUTH RENDELL AND ELLY GRIFFITHS
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First, do no harm . . .
On a crisp January morning, a group of third year nursing students gather in Nightingale House for a clinical lesson. One student will play the patient, while the others practice their nursing skills. But none of them is prepared for the demonstration to end in a gruesome murder.
When a second student dies, this time by apparent suicide, Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh thinks the deaths must be connected, but in order to prove this and unmask the murderer, he must sweep away a cloud of secrets, lies and blackmail at the nursing school - before they can kill again.
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'Probably the best Dalgliesh.' 5* reader review
'Absolutely brilliant.' 5* reader review
'An assured mystery, with a closed community and a great cast of characters.' 5* reader review
'A very clever and accurate portrait of the strict, claustrophobic atmosphere of nursing sisters, nurse tutors in the training school and the student nurses in their care. Brilliant.' 5* reader review
**Now a major Channel 5 series**
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READERS LOVE THE ADAM DALGLEISH SERIES:
'Adam Dalgleish is one of the best characters in modern detective fiction.' 5* reader review
'If you are not already an Adam Dalgliesh fan, I urge you to become one . . . James can describe a scene or delineate a character with precision and depth, like no other writer I have read . . . I usually stay up all night to read a P. D. James novel once I start one.' 5* reader review
'I would never give less than 5 stars to any P. D. James book. She is one of a kind, always constant, always wonderful writing, always great characters, and always a good mystery that you cannot put down.' 5* reader review
'P. D. James writes mysteries for ordinary people. Her characters are relatable and her hero is dynamic. But don't expect cell phones or computers. Her stories are strictly old school, which is what I love about them.' 5* reader review
'Crime writing at its very best!' 5* reader review
PRAISE FOR P. D. JAMES:
'A legend.' VAL MCDERMID
'Masterful.' MICK HERRON
'James manages a depth and intelligence that few in her trade can match.' THE TIMES
'One of the literary greats. Her sense of place was exquisite, characterisation and plotting unrivalled.' MARI HANNAH
'There are very few thriller writers who can compete with P. D. James at her best.' SPECTATOR
'P. D. James [was] simply a wonderful writer.' NEW YORK TIMES
'The queen of English crime.' GUARDIAN
