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As a hidden draft cleared the mist again, Vera realized that her companion was too still and her skin was too pale.

When DI Vera Stanhope finds the body of a woman in the steam room of her local pool, she wonders briefly if, for once, it's a death from natural causes. But closer inspection reveals ligature marks around the victim's throat . . .

Vera pulls her team together and sets them interviewing staff and those connected to the victim, while she and Sergeant Joe Ashworth work to find a motive. While Joe struggles to reconcile his home life with the demands of the job, Vera revels in being back in charge of an investigation. Death has never made her feel so alive.

When they discover that the victim had worked in social services - and was involved in a shocking case involving a young child - it seems the two are somehow connected. But things are rarely as they seem . . .

'An absorbingly cunning mystery' Daily Mail

'Ann Cleeves is a skilful technician, keeping our interest alive and building slowly up to the denouement. Her easy use of language and clever story construction make her one of the best natural writers of detective fiction' Daily Express

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