In bestselling Tana Frenchβs newest βtour de force,β* being on the Murder squad is nothing like Detective Antoinette Conway dreamed it would be. Her partner, Stephen Moran, is the only person who seems glad sheβs there. The rest of her working life is a stream of thankless cases, vicious pranks, and harassment. Antoinette is savagely tough, but sheβs getting close to the breaking point.
Their new case looks like yet another by-the-numbers loversβ quarrel gone bad. Aislinn Murray is blond, pretty, groomed to a shine, and dead in her catalogue-perfect living room, next to a table set for a romantic dinner. Thereβs nothing unusual about herβexcept that Antoinetteβs seen her somewhere before.
And that her death wonβt stay in its neat by-numbers box. Other detectives are trying to push Antoinette and Steve into arresting Aislinnβs boyfriend, fast. Thereβs a shadowy figure at the end of Antoinette's road. Aislinn's friend is hinting that she knew Aislinn was in danger. And everything they find out about Aislinn takes her further from the glossy, passive doll she seemed to be.
Antoinette knows the harassment has turned her paranoid, but she canβt tell just how far gone she is. Is this case another step in the campaign to force her off the squad, or are there darker currents flowing beneath its polished surface?
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