One witness who can’t be trusted.

Seven actors who’ll never stray from the script.

And a costumed killer, waiting in the wings . . .

Behind the front door of Mr and Mrs Morgan’s elegant Norwich townhouse, something is terribly wrong. Detective Sara Hirst pushes it open to find a scene of utter devastation. Furniture upended. Shattered china and torn papers strewn across the floor. And, amid it all, James Morgan himself. A frail old dementia sufferer, crying out for his wife.

Where’s Carole?

Amateur actress Carole Morgan was out late last night, running lines with her castmates at the Rosegarden Theatre. James waited up for her for hours. But now he knows, she’s never coming home.

A stranger came calling in the night to tell James as much. A masked stranger, wearing a monk’s habit.

Now, James begs Detective Sara, Norfolk Serious Crime’s finest, to hunt for the intruder behind the mask, certain that the trail will lead straight to his missing wife.

Sara takes his ramblings with a pinch of salt. It’s just his distressed mind playing tricks on him.

But when a body is found, hidden beneath the boards of the Rosegarden stage, she’s forced to think again.

Now Sara’s in a race against time to track the ruthless killer. With a cloaked figure watching her every move from the shadows . . .

This gripping, character-driven crime thriller is perfect for fans of Joy Ellis, J.M. Dalgliesh, Matt Brolly, Rachel McLean and Angela Marsons.