In a world over-populated with 'twisty' psychological thrillers, this stands out for keeping things creepy but real. Clarke certainly re-uses tropes of the genre like the big empty house, though now renovated and modernised, and that old chestnut of 'how well do we know those around us?' - but, importantly, she makes them work for her by not going over the top and by keeping the focus on characterisation rather than hokey twists. Ok, there is one huge coincidence but I was happy to overlook it in view of how adroitly we're wrong-footed - and even if I guessed the villain, the motive was kept well hidden till the last.

A deliciously creepy read, then, with emotional payoff - clear your calendar for this one, I literally couldn't stop reading once I'd started it!