He did kill. Kill and kill and kill.’

Tess’s number one priority has always been her three-year-old daughter Poppy. But splitting up with Poppy’s father Jason means that she cannot always be there to keep her daughter safe.

When she finds a disturbing drawing, dark and menacing, among her daughter’s brightly coloured paintings, Tess is convinced that Poppy has witnessed something terrible. Something that her young mind is struggling to put into words.

But no one will listen. It’s only a child’s drawing, isn’t it?

Tess will protect Poppy, whatever the price. But when she doesn’t know what, or who, she is protecting her from, how can she possibly know who to trust . . . ?

Praise for Nicci French:

'Confirms Nicci French as the giant of the genre' Erin Kelly

‘Part ingenious locked-room mystery. Part you’ve-got-the-wrong-person nightmare drama. Part intricate memory game. Yet all seamlessly woven together. French’s best book yet’ A J Finn

‘Expertly paced, psychologically sharp, thoroughly enjoyable' Louise Candlish

‘A novel that blissfully plays with two genres: on the one hand an against-the-odds legal thriller à la John Grisham… and on the other a Miss Marple whodunnit’ Sunday Times

‘Nicci French husband-and-wife writing team responsible for some of the UK’s best psychological thrillers have created a gem of a protagonist in Tabitha’ Observer

‘First-class’ Independent

‘Gripping’ Literary Review