What will it take to tell the truth when your life depends on a lie?

''Authentic, compelling and written with wit so sharp it’ll cut your fingers'' ERIN KELLY

''A taut, propulsive mystery about family, truth, and morality'' ALAFAIR BURKE

A year ago, a father and his fiancée were brutally stabbed in their opulent townhouse, sparking the most high-profile murder investigation in recent history. Blood spatter expert Doctor Claudia O’Sheil’s evidence put the killer behind bars – or so everyone believes. Since the trial, Claudia’s learned a horrific truth: her evidence and her testimony were wrong. And someone she knows made sure of it.

Now, as she takes the stage to give a career-defining speech before London’s elite, Claudia faces a devastating choice. Protect her children and her livelihood with her continued complicity or blow the whole conspiracy apart and reveal the truth: not only is the real murderer still out there, they’re in the audience.

As Claudia steps toward the microphone, she revisits that fateful night. What really happened? And what speech will Claudia give?

From The New York Times bestselling and Costa-shortlisted author, Denise Mina, comes a taut, intelligent thriller about power, class, and the lengths we''re willing to go for family.

More praise for Denise Mina

''A delight'' ANN CLEEVES

''Highly original'' THE TIMES

''Darkly brilliant'' OBSERVER

''Denise Mina is crime-writing royalty'' IAN RANKIN

''Denise Mina is a one-of-a-kind storyteller'' JAMES PATTERSON

‘Britain''s best living crime writer’ SUNDAY EXPRESS

‘Forensic, beautiful and gripping’ GRAHAM NORTON

‘Crime fiction at its very best’ JOSEPH KNOX