On the floor, between the settee and the fireplace, lay the remains of Julia Henderson. The fact that she had been murdered was not open to doubt. The brutal manner of her death precluded suicide.... Described by the vicar as "an amazingly beautiful woman" and by his pretty and obsessively house-proud wife as "my only friend," Julia, a freelance journalist, had a reputation for raising the pulses of every male, young or old, for miles around. Tiny pieces of earthenware are discovered in the cadaver's scalp, providing the only indication of a possible murder weapon. But when fingerprints are found in Julia's house, Detective Chief Inspector Ian Roper and his team of detectives move in on their prime suspect: Julia's mendacious but lovelorn husband from whom she was separated. Two other people also come under immediate suspicion: one is a cold, calculating, yet understandably jealous wife, who believes that both her husband and son were Julia's lovers, and the other is a womanizing teacher recently dismissed for having an affair with one of his students. Finally, after police receive two confessions from unexpected quarters, they make an arrest that shocks and dumbfounds everyone. Janie Bolitho's first novel of suspense, with its ingenious plotting, convincing psychology, and vivid characters, is firmly in the great tradition of the classical whodunit.

Genre: Mystery