The new genre-busting crime novel from the author of The Appeal and The Twyford Code.
*** THE SMASH HIT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ***
*** THE GENRE-BUSTING RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK ***
*** A GUARDIAN BEST BOOK OF YEAR ***
*** AN OBSERVER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR ***
*** A TELEGRAPH BEST SUMMER BOOK OF THE YEAR ***
*** A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR ***
'The queen of tricksy crime' - SUNDAY TIMES
'Her best so far' - MARIAN KEYES
'Another resounding success' - DAILY EXPRESS
Open the safe deposit box.
Inside you will find research material for a true crime book.
You must read the documents, then make a decision.
Will you destroy them? Or will you take them to the police?
Everyone knows the sad story of the Alperton Angels: the cult who brainwashed a teenage girl and convinced her that her newborn baby was the anti-Christ. Believing they had a divine mission to kill the infant, they were only stopped when the girl came to her senses and called the police. The Angels committed suicide rather than stand trial, while mother and baby disappeared into the care system.
Nearly two decades later, true-crime author Amanda Bailey is writing a book on the Angels. The Alperton baby has turned eighteen and can finally be interviewed; if Amanda can find them, it will be the true-crime scoop of the year, and will save her flagging career. But rival author Oliver Menzies is just as smart, better connected, and is also on the baby's trail.
As Amanda and Oliver are forced to collaborate, they realise that what everyone thinks they know about the Angels is wrong. The truth is something much darker and stranger than they'd ever imagined. And the story of the Alperton Angels is far from over.
From the bestselling author of The Appeal and The Twyford Code comes a stunning new mystery for fans of Richard Osman and S.J. Bennett, that shot straight into the Sunday Times bestseller list in January 2023. The devil is in the detail...
