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A seductive mystery novel from the acclaimed author of Dark Water

''Sparkling . . . glowing with wit'' Hilary Mantel

''A mystery story, a love story and a comedy of errors . . . A compelling debut that entertains and unsettles in equal measure'' Guardian

Mawle House. The run-down country seat of the Ropers, a warren of mysterious artefacts and secretive women and - thrillingly - the possible hiding place of a Bellini masterpiece: the elusive Madonna.

Art historian and aesthete Thomas Lynch, in disgrace and desperation, knows that finding this painting could resurrect his career. But by immersing himself in Mawle's strange past and stranger present, he soon finds himself entangled in a game of cat and mouse. Lynch will soon learn that in life, as in art, nothing should be taken at face value.