Margaret Yorke delivers incredibly tense and chilling novels of suspense, delving into the darker recesses of the human psyche, as extraordinary events collide with everyday lives. Winner of the 1999 Cartier Diamond Dagger for her outstanding contribution to the crime fiction genre.
Philip Winter has no other option but to fake his own death - his life as he knows it is over. A mild, sweet-tempered salesman at an elite department store, he never suspects a nicely dressed woman will make a pass at him. . . and then accuse him of rape when he turns down her advances. Even though he is acquitted, he loses everything including his job and his wife's trust. He just wants to disappear, and finds himself joining the lost world of the homeless.
When Philip drifts into the village of Chingbury, his life intersects with a group of animal-rights activists led by a rather frightening young woman named Tessa. Tessa has her own obsessions, which are taking those around her in a terrifying direction. Philip's world will soon be shaken, or ended, by emotions exploding in very unexpected ways.
Another contemporary masterpiece from Margaret Yorke - The Lady
The mistress of the skilfully spun suspense novel . . . her quiet, unemphatic style of narrative makes the story a compelling read - Sunday Telegraph
Margaret Yorke's talent for scratching below the placid surface of people and places to reveal anguish and wickedness is matchless - Daily Telegraph