'I've come about the bodies. I know who they are.'

Just before D-Day in 1944, on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, an elderly woman walks into a police station. She has information, she says, about human remains recently discovered nearby.

The bodies could have stayed buried for ever - like the pain and passion that put them there. But Mary Holmes is finally ready to tell the truth.

The young constable sent to take her statement is still suffering from the injuries that ended his army career. As he tries to make sense of her tale, William finds himself increasingly distracted. Mary's confession forces his own violent memories to the surface - betrayals and regrets as badly healed as his war wounds.

Over six days, as pressure builds for the final push in Europe, two lives reveal their secrets. Should You Ask Me is a captivating story about people at their worst and best: raw, rich, and utterly compelling.

"Intriguing... Just when you think there is no way to draw all the threads to a satisfying close, Marianne Kavanagh does it." - Woman

"Kavanagh is a perceptive and vivid writer and this tale of ordinary lives transformed by extraordinary events has so much period atmosphere, you can practically hear the air-raid sirens." - Daily Mail

"A highly emotional mediation on memory, ageing, guilt, and regret... Kavanagh's multi-layered narrative considers its reliability in a compelling reflection on time and perception, whilst immersing the reader in a rich historical landscape." - Literature Works

"This ingenious page-turner, set in a a Dorset police station in 1944, will keep you guessing until the end...Marianne Kavanagh has produced an original brainteaser of a read" - The Lady

"Very distinctive, almost genre-defying novel" - Dorset Echo

"It is an absolutely thrilling compelling and delightful read and the plot is so intricate. The characters are incredibly realistic and there is so much atmosphere I felt that I was transported back to the time period" - Katherine's Book Universe

"Should You Ask Me is an absolute master class in story-telling" - Jaffa Reads Too

"Should You Ask Me is one of the most unique books I've had the pleasure of reading" - Passages to the Past

"Part murder mystery, part historical tale, this is a read that blends both genres together in intriguing style." - Woman's Own