On the morning of 27 December, newspapers around the country recieve the following Press Association Report: Police investigating the discovery of two bodies in Hertfordshire house.

Details trickle in: the house belongs to wealthy merchant banker Charles Stansfield; present are well-known news editor Richard Barlow and members of his family.

But the victims identities are withheld. Who are they? Why has a family gathering exploded into violence and death? Through their individual voices the lives of Richard, Tim and Naomi Barlow and their mother, Florence, unfold and a shocking crime comes to light - one that has gone undetected and unpunished, culminating in a double-killing a quarter of a century later.

Praise for Robert Richardson:

''With this, his first novel, Robert Richardson makes a most impressive debut as a writer of the classical English detective story… He knows how to create suspense and an atmosphere of incipient evil; he provides us with a genuine puzzle, his characters are believable people, and the motive of his murderer is psycho-logically credible.” P D James

“Skilful rerouting and the taste of real tears” The Sunday Times

“Eccentrics, suspects and witty writing abound” The Times

“Here is a book to be missed only at your own peril” Armchair Detective

“Elegantly written, beautifully characterised, suspenseful and oddly moving” Mystery Reader’s Journal

“Grand entertainment, deft handling and suave wit” Publishers Weekly

Robert Richardson is a journalist and editor who lives in England.