When three dead bodies are discovered in quick succession on his home patch in Kent, DI Ian Peterson becomes too embroiled in a complex murder investigation to worry about his forthcoming promotion or the state of his marriage. The first victim is a middle class housewife, stabbed to death in a park. Her husband is in the clear until the prostitute who provided him with an alibi is murdered. While the police are busy gathering evidence, a second prostitute is killed. Ian and a young female constable, Polly, struggle to make sense of the case and find the elusive killer, before he strikes again. But by the time Ian realises the truth, it may be too late to save Polly.

Leigh Russell studied at the University of Kent and now works as a secondary school teacher, specialising in supporting pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties. Her first novel, Cut Short (2009) was shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger Award for Best First Novel. Road Closed (2010) was listed as a Top Read on Eurocrime and, with Dead End (2011), series protagonist Geraldine Steel became the #1 best-selling female sleuth on Amazon Kindle.