No Escape - Tapa dura

Spike Falconer is in prison on the Isle of Wight - convicted of murder. What made him choose four innocent strangers, a family picnicking, as his victims? Why did he need to kill? Forensic psychologist Karen Taylor comes to probe the mind of this psychopath. Trying to recover from the death of her husband and the dark memories surrounding it, Karen is drawn into life on the Island. She becomes involved with DCI Charlie Trench, cool and abrasive, the opposite in every way from her partner Will Hawkins. And she has to get to know Spike's adoptive family, the rich and influential Falconers, who are tight-lipped and closing ranks. Someone on the Island doesn't want Karen getting too close to Spike. The more she learns, the more afraid she becomes of those who are threatened by her discoveries. And then they start to act ...

An ex-publisher, past Chair of the Crime Writers' Association, and lifelong Londoner, N J Cooper writes for a variety of newspapers and journals and contributes to many radio programmes such as Woman's Hour and Saturday Review. As Natasha Cooper, she is the author of, among many others, NO ESCAPE, A GREATER EVIL and A POISONED MIND. In 2002 she was shortlisted for the Dagger in the Library, an award that 'goes to the author whose work has given most pleasure to readers'.