Maureen O’Donnell wakes up one morning to find her therapist boyfriend murdered in the middle of her living room and herself a prime suspect in a murder case.

Desperate to clear her name and to get at the truth, Maureen traces rumors about a similar murder at a local psychiatric hospital, uncovering a trail of deception and repressed scandal that could exonerate her – or make her the next victim.

“A shattering first novel… You can’t look away from it.”-New York Times Book Review

“I can’t think of a more interesting – and less likely – crime hero than Maureen O’Donnell, the damaged but determined center of Denise Mina’s marvelous debut mystery. . . . The book bristles with angry energy and the spare urban poetry of its unique language.” –Chicago Tribune

“A groundbreaking book . . . its emotional rawness and visceral honesty pack a punch more potent than any boxer-turned-PI could provide.”-Washington Post Book World

“This raw, powerful story is an exceptional debut.” –Kansas City Star

“A compelling story. . . . This is the reason we read mysteries.” –Rocky Mountain News

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Praise

"This is the book that made me fall in love with Denise Mina. She's a terrific social commentator and does all the things good crime fiction should always do: talk about characters and how their lives are changed for the better or worse by acts of violence." —Karin Slaughter, author of Pretty Girls

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Praise