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.
When Isabel's god-daughter, Emily, turns up after years of no contact and in need of help, she feels duty-bound to take her under her wing. To her surprise, Emily is determined to be independent and takes a job as nanny. Emily's charge turns out to be the illegitimate child of the na ve daughter of a well-to-do couple and a ne'er-do-well conman who disappeared before the baby was born. And now he is back, intent on exploiting his parental status in return for cash.
Before she knows it, Emily is caught up in his botched attempts at blackmail, trying desperately to protect her charge from harm, while also shielding Isabel from becoming entangled in the drama. But when events beyond her control force her to act instinctively, with horrendous effect, all their lives are put terribly at risk.
Her short, sparse accounts of things going wrong and innocent people getting caught up in events beyond their control never fails to induce a powerful sense of apprehension and foreboding - Guardian
Wholly-and distressingly- believable - Times Literary Supplement
Yorke has an extraordinary feel for the passions that lurk beneath unremarkable facades - Sunday Times