'Tough, funny and intensely topical. McDermid stands out as one of the few contemporary writers actually nourished by the here and now'
Literary Review
'Fast, fluently told story: Kate is as tough as Warshawski but less hung up on political correctness'
Daily Mail
'Kate Brannigan is wonderful'
Frances Fyfield
'Stunningly exciting, horrifyingly good'
Ruth Rendell
'This book has a sense of gravitas and intelligence utterly beyond lesser writers in the field'
Ian Rankin
'Terrific chiller from Manchester's answer to Thomas Harris'
Guardian
'A clever and exciting thriller'
Sunday Telegraph
'A compelling combination of sexual-political mischief and Jacobean psychological intensity'
Sunday Times (of The Wire in the Blood)
Praise for Val McDermid:
'No one rivals Val McDermid's skill at writing truly terrifying thrillers' Good Housekeeping
'The real mistress of psychological gripping thrillers' Daily Express
'McDermid's capacity to enter the warped mind of a deviant criminal is shiveringly convincing' The Times
'Val McDermid is undoubtedly the queen of British crime' Observer
'McDermid's expertly juggled plotlines and masterful handling of pace and tension tick all the best boxes' Guardian
'The queen of crime is still at the top of her game' Independent
'One of today's most accomplished crime writers' Literary Review
'Her writing is never less than excellent' Crime Time
