Publisher's Synopsis
"McDermid's capacity to enter the warped mind of a deviant criminal is shiveringly convincing." The Times "The real mistress of psychological, gripping thrillers." Daily Express An edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller that sees Dr Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan facing the toughest challenge of their careers On a blood-soaked mattress lies a dead prostitute, her limbs spread in a parody of ecstacy, panic and pain etched in her face. The scene matches in every detail a series of murders two years ago - murders that ended when irrefutable forensic evidence secured the conviction of Derek Tyler. But there is no way Tyler could have killed the latest victim. He has been locked up in a mental insititution since his trial, barely speaking a word. So is this the work of a copycat? All his years of experience tell top criminal psychologist Dr Tony Hill that it isn't. But that would make the murders literally impossible. While Hill tries to crack Tyler, DCI Carol Jordan and her team mount a desperate undercover operation to trap the murderer, a decision that will have terrible consequences.
