For best-selling author Lady Margaret, the past is no longer a pleasant memory. Her first lover's mysterious death and the seeming inevitability of her inheriting the family's stately home are cast in new light by secrets unwillingly revisited. The first in a series of reprints of Peter Dickinson's mysteries, this classic British mystery will win fans currently engrossed in Downton Abbey.

Praise for Peter Dickinson's mysteries:

"A literary magician controlling an apparently inexhaustible supply of effects . . . Craftsmanship such as this makes for compulsive reading."
--Penelope Lively

"He is the true original, a superb writer who revitalises the traditions of the mystery genre . . . incapable of writing a trite or inelegant sentence . . . a master."
--P. D. James

"He sets new standards in the mystery field that will be hard to live up to."
--Ruth Rendell

"He has an eye and a mind and a voice like no other."
--Donald E. Westlake

"A fresh triumph . . . a simultaneous insight into kids and their minders, and emerging nations, and the concept of freedom - all done with consummate story-telling skill."
--Peter Lovesey

"Read this book carefully. It's a jewel."
--The New York Times Review

"Brilliantly imaginative first detective story . . .wonderfully convincing."
--The Observer

"Mr Dickinson is the most original crime novelist to appear for a long, long time."
--The Guardian

"Brilliantly original, as always."
--Times Literary Supplement

"Wry, witty, irresistible."
--The Financial Times

"Dickinson tops all his prizewinners with this stunning psychological thriller."
--Publishers Weekly

Peter Dickinson has twice received the Crime Writers' Association's Gold Dagger. He lives in England and is married to the novelist Robin McKinley.