The cottage sits pretty with ornate, stone walls and embers still glowing cozy in the fireplace within, the remnants of a happy, sheltered life. But a woman’s body lies still on the floor, her frozen face smeared with blood-red lipstick.

Detective Morgan Brookes thinks she’s seen it all, but goosebumps prickle her flesh as she walks inside a beautiful limestone cottage in Rydal Falls to find an innocent young woman strangled to death. The killer has applied lipstick to Rachel Hart and pressed her lips to a letter to seal it with a kiss.

Scrawled handwriting confirms this killer has already chosen his next victim, but the careful, calculated scene only frustrates Morgan when she finds no more clues. Rachel’s solitary life, dedicated to her tabby cat and barely speaking to her sister, yields no suspects. Until Morgan finds out about an argument between Rachel and her cleaner. Did the ex-employee murder her in cold blood and cover his tracks?

Finding two photos of Rachel in a Ziplock bag inside the cleaner’s home, Morgan’s team lock him up. And when Morgan receives a hysterical call from a mother after finding her only daughter strangled, another letter buried at the scene, she should be able to tell the woman justice has already been served. But something about this case just doesn’t feel right. The timelines don’t add up, and Morgan feels watched in her own home. Can she uncover the truth and find this killer, or is she already too late to save the next victim?

Fans of Angela Marsons, Lisa Regan and Rachel Abbott will devour this unforgettable rollercoaster of a crime thriller late into the night.

What readers are saying about Helen Phifer:

‘Wow!!! Just Wow!!! I did not see that one coming!!! Yet ANOTHER absolutely UNPUTDOWNABLE, ACTION-PACKED, page-turning book from the extremely talented Helen Phifer!!!… Kept me up until late at night. I just could not put it down!!! I completely blame Helen for the bags under my eyes!!’ Bookworm86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I devoured it over two evenings (I was working both days or I’d have read it quicker) – and I stayed up until WAY past my bedtime on the first night because I didn’t want to put it down!’ Urban Sapphire, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I read this book in one sitting… I was hooked from the first page… OMG what a case… a real rollercoaster of a read… will get your heart pumping. I absolutely loved it.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘My heart is still pounding hours after the last page. Oh my God what a heart-stopping read… I had goosebumps. I had chills… It grabs you from page one… hold tight until the last page and beyond.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘What a book!… I found myself holding my breath and having to read the last few chapters on into the early hours of the morning because I just needed to find out what happened.’ Mrs Bloggs’ Books, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐