THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY KATE HAMER

'If crime fiction is currently in rude good health . . . this is in no small part thanks to Ruth Rendell'
IAN RANKIN

'A classic mystery, as true to life now as it was half a century ago'
MAIL ONLINE

'Ruth Rendell's mesmerising capacity to shock, chill and disturb is unmatched'
THE TIMES

AN ORDINARY LIFE. AN EXTRAORDINARY DEATH.

The trampled grass led to the body of Margaret Parsons.

With no useful clues and a victim known only for her mundane life, Chief Inspector Wexford is baffled until he discovers Margaret's dark secret - a collection of rare books, each inscribed from a secret lover and signed only as 'Doon'.

Who is Doon? And could the answer hold the key to Wexford solving his first case?

"As Wexford’s investigation gathers pace, we experience the conflicts and contradictions of the Sixties when the social fabric was turned inside-out . . . a classic mystery, as true to life now as it was half a century ago." - Mail Online