First off - a gorgeous cover, and an intriguing title. Garda officers Ben Butler and Liam Farrell are called to a remote cottage in the Irish countryside (North Mayo), where a young woman has been found covered in blood - but it's not her blood, and the friend she lives with is missing. Is the vulnerable-seeming Ruth a witness, a victim, or could she just possibly be a killer? And where is her friend, Maura - does she even exist?
Meanwhile another woman, Lisa, with a past connection to Maura, is missing...
As Ruth tells her story, the police officers - and the readers - have to decide how far she can be believed. Ben feels powerfully drawn to her, but is always aware that she can't necessarily be trusted, and there are things that don't quite add up. I, too, wanted to believe in her, but was in constant expectation - rather like Ben - of having the rug pulled from under me.
Maura, a powerful presence, emerges through Ruth's account of how she entered and basically took over her life.
The Ben and Liam pairing is an interesting one - they're opposites in many ways, from very different backgrounds - Ben having grown up wealthy, Liam the complete opposite - and each makes not-necessarily-warranted assumptions about the other. Ben, too, is still suffering the fallout from a mistake he made earlier in his career. Over the course of the case, though, the two men develop a bond.
This was a really intriguing and compelling read for me. Possibly, the ending was polished off a bit too quickly, and motivations emerged which we hadn't really had reason to suspect earlier. But overall it was an excellent read.
It's out on 16 July 2026, and can be pre-ordered here.
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