Family ties can bind dangerously tight. Viktor Algard was in love. Reckless in the grip of passion, he left his wife and grown-up children to be with his new lover. His last act was a celebratory drink at a glamorous party...Inspector Anders Knutas must find out who on the island of Gotland hated Algard enough to poison him. At first Algard's spurned wife seems like the obvious suspect. But a second attack confirms his suspicion that there's a more complex motive behind the murder. If Knutas is to catch the killer, he must discover the truth that lies hidden at the heart of a broken family - and face some secrets within his own.

Writers such as Henning Mankell may outsell Jungstedt in the UK, but - if there is any justice - she will not remain caviar to the general Barry Forshaw There is an icy dispassionate grip to Jungstedt's writing that recalls Henning Mankell Metro She is in total control of plot and pace, conveys chilling atmosphere and her characters are well above average for believability The Times Jungstedt delivers excellent clammy atmosphere and a constant premonition of weird deaths to come. She's becoming one of Scandinavia's best crime writers, no mean compliment in a crowded field The Times

Mari Jungstedt is one of the most successful crime fiction authors in Sweden, and has sold over 3 million copies of her books worldwide. Barry Forshaw writes that her Inspector Knutas novels are 'among the most rarefied and satisfying pleasures afforded by the field'. This is her sixth novel set on the island of Gotland and featuring Knutas. Mari lives in Stockholm with her husband and two children.