Inspector Vera Stenhope's life cannot be quiet even outside of work. In the sauna of the local gym, where she comes to distract herself, work overtakes her again: next to her lies the corpse of a woman with bruises on her neck. I wonder if Vera has ever seen people who died calmly? Vera's blood is churning from the new investigation. Death has never made her feel so alive. But the past of the murdered victim reveals a shocking secret that affects the life of the inspector. Caution, Vera Stenhope, you are looking for a person capable of terrible things for the sake of concealing his crimes... Ann Cleaves is a recognized master of the British detective. She gleaned the best of the novels of great predecessors - Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle and Gilbert Keith Chesterton - and embodied them in her own style, making her novels truly unique. With psychological depth, brash heroes and the enigmatic atmosphere of northern England, Ann Cleeves's novels deserve to stand on a par with masterpieces of detective literature. The book formed the basis of the series "Faith."