A TAUTLY-PLOTTED CRIME THRILLER WITH AN EXPLOSIVE ENDING.

IN A GATED COMMUNITY, SOMEONE HIDES A DEADLY SECRET.

Nothing ever happens in New College Close.

Until one day a piercing scream shatters the calm.

A GRIM DISCOVERY AT NUMBER SEVEN.

Two women are found asphyxiated beneath a luxury mattress. They are retired schoolteacher Marian Bussell and her ex-pupil Dawn.

The only clue: a badge from the academy where the dead woman once taught, clutched in her hand.

Marian was no stranger to controversy. She was a long-time campaigner for LGBT rights and had received vicious poison pen letters.

Detectives Markham and Noakes race to uncover the reason why. But they soon realize that no one in the Close is what they seem.

AND THEN THE MURDERER STRIKES AGAIN.

Is an Art Deco compact found at the scene the key to breaking the case?

A classic whodunnit perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Ann Cleeves, Clare Chase, Helen Cox and Betty Rowlands.