"A complex, dark and gripping crime novel. Marshall writes with insight and humanity." Thomas Waugh

Stephen Lord is one of the good guys. The Headteacher at Rapton Community High School, he believes in justice and second chances.

Dean Bywater believes in justice too. Fresh out of prison and seeking retribution for a tragedy rooted in his past, he returns to Rapton to find his fifteen year old nephew Callum torn between pursuing a career in the army and following a life of crime.

Meanwhile, A* student Todd is carrying a burden he cannot share even with his sympathetic form tutor, new recruit Leigh Summers.

As the new school year begins, one small act of cruelty committed by Callum's gang leads Dean to make some disturbing connections. And Todd's discovery of the truth about his own past involves them all in violence, murder and the revelation of a terrible secret.

Recommended reading for fans of Belinda Bauer, Sharon Bolton and Angela Marsons.

Catherine Marshall was born in Birmingham and studied Literature and Theatre at North Cheshire College. She began writing at the age of eleven and sold her first short stories to Jackie magazine while she was still a student. As well as contributing short stories to a variety of magazines, she has written and published two romantic novels. Catherine is also the author of Masquerade and Still Water. She is married with two children and lives in Lancashire.