A famous victim. A locked room. Dark secrets. For DS Ballantyne, murder isn’t black and white.

DS Kat Ballantyne came to the crime-writing festival for an escape. Instead she’s walked straight into a murder scene.

Moments before he’s due on stage, a famous novelist is found dead in a locked room. It looks like natural causes, but Kat sees tiny clues that suggest murder. As she investigates, she uncovers literary rivalries, personal vendettas and hidden agendas. Is there anyone who didn’t have a motive to murder Mark Swift?

As the case takes a turn for the darker, Kat finds herself in a world where the line between right and wrong is blurred. Can she bring Swift’s killer to justice? And, if so, should she?

Andy Maslen was born in Nottingham, England. After leaving university with a degree in psychology, he worked in business for thirty years as a copywriter, while also continuing to write poetry and short fiction. In his spare time, he plays blues and jazz guitar. He lives in Wiltshire.