Nothing in pottery teacher Stan Andino’s regular and uneventful existence has prepared him for the moment he discovers his wife naked, except for a black apron, bleaching the lounge carpet with a sponge. A CT scan one week later explains it: Carmen has a brain tumour.

As Stan and his teenage sons grapple with the diagnosis and frightening personality changes in their wife and mother, longstanding family friends Austin and Tibbie Lamb do everything possible to assist the Andinos during their time of crisis. Austin, their GP, oversees Carmen’s medical care, while Tibbie picks up on the home front.

Then Tibbie’s body is discovered at the bottom of Browns Bay cliffs. DS Ramesh Bandara and his partner—astute, socially awkward DC Hilary Stark—are assigned to the case. And they will discover that Tibbie’s demise was no accident….

Praise

Finalist for The Ngaio Marsh Best Crime Novel 2023

Shortlisted for the NZ Booklovers Award for Best Adult Fiction

‘Intriguing, intelligent, and entertaining… I loved it’
Liz Nugent

‘Insists that you keep reading into the small hours’
Paddy Richardson

‘Peppered with twists and turns’
Yrsa Siguroardóttir

‘A masterful anatomy of a friendship shattered by illness and violent death’
Liam McIlvanney

‘Propels you along on a roller-coaster ride’
Vanda Simon

‘A compelling and deliciously unsettling read’
North and South

‘A masterful thriller’
Style Magazine