Cold to the touch - Frances Fyfield

Short of work, rejected by the man she craves, spurned by her mother, Jess Hurly is a wreck when Sarah Fortune comes across her in the semi-darkness of a cold London morning. Sarah - lawyer, professional mistress and stalwart friend - recognises her despair and her vulnerability, and knows all too well what damage those emotions can wreak. Jess believes her life can be put right if she could only go home to the village where she grew up, but she is unsure whether she would be welcomed or be rejected again. Sarah ventures to the small community tucked between the Downs and the sea, not only to test the waters for her friend, but to satisfy her own curiosity and unravel the true reason why Jess was forced to leave. She finds a place of insularity and tolerance, both wary and welcoming of her arrival, but Sarah quickly discerns that the dominance of the Hurly family commands silence from those reliant on them. Then Jess falls silent, her number unavailable, her presence missing, and Sarah's increasingly desperate search for her takes her into places that are even colder than the grave.

Frances Fyfield has spent much of her professional life practising as a criminal lawyer, work which has informed her highly acclaimed crime novels. She has been the recipient of both the Gold and Silver Crime Writers' Association Daggers. She is also a regular broadcaster on Radio 4, most recently as the presenter of the series 'Tales from the Stave'. She lives in London and in Deal, overlooking the sea which is her passion.