From multi-million copy and SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author Ruth Rendell, this is a strange, seductive and suspenseful psychological thriller with a cunning final twist that will get right under the skin. Perfect for fans of PD James, Ann Cleeves and Donna Leon.

‘She is incapable of writing a sentence that is not invested with mystery and fear… I was totally transfixed. If you read it, you will not sleep well. And it is a marvellous piece of work’ — Today
‘Difficult to put down… she begins with the everyday, the ordinary and transmutes it into an almost Gothic tale of suspense and quiet terror’ — Daily Express
‘Probably the greatest living crime writer in the world’ — Ian Rankin
‘Ruth Rendell’s mesmerising capacity to shock, chill and disturb is unmatched.’– The Times
‘Pure genius’ — ***** Reader review
‘Gripping throughout’ — ***** Reader review
‘Possibly her best’ — ***** Reader review
‘A twisted, strange, compelling piece of brilliance’ — ***** Reader review

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Safe houses and secret message drops, double crosses and defections – it sounds like the stuff of sophisticated espionage, but the agents are only schoolboys engaged in harmless play, unaware of the danger awaiting them if their messages were intercepted…

John Creevey doesn’t know the truth behind the mysterious codes he is reading. To him, the messages he decodes with painstaking care are the communications of dangerous and evil men.

As he comes face to face with the reality of his beloved wife Jennifer’s defection, he begins to see a way to get back at the man she left him for, a man with a disturbing connection to the schoolboys…

And soon the schoolboys are playing more than just a game.