The gripping new novel featuring unorthodox Edinburgh lawyer Brodie McClennan, who must investigate a ritualistic murder in the Highlands in order to clear her name. A woman is lured to a lonely ruin in the Scottish Highlands and strangled almost to the point of death. As she prays for mercy, her hopes are shattered when her unseen assailant begins to carve her face, and she is left alone to bleed her life's blood into a shallow grave. In Edinburgh, 29-year-old lawyer Brodie McLennan is coming to terms with the discovery of the family she never knew she had. She must also fight the increasing resentment of the Edinburgh Bar. As the complaints to the Law Society about Brodie pile up, her grandfather and legal legend Lord MacGregor fears that Brodie is in danger and advises that to protect her reputation, she should become a crown prosecutor-accept 'silk'-something that rankles with Brodie's natural inclination to protect the underdog. When Lord McGregor's prophecy is fulfilled and Brodie is implicated in the disappearance of a fellow lawyer, she realises he is right-she is now a marked woman. Then the missing woman is found in a remote mental hospital, the walls of her cell smeared in blood, the name 'Brodie' written over and over… Back in Edinburgh, a knife is found with Brodie's fingerprints. It seems that someone is out to stop Brodie's rise to the top-at any cost… - Featuring rebellious Edinburgh lawyer Brodie McLennan, a deeply engaging heroine with a murky past. - Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin, Mo Hayder and Stuart MacBride. - Grace Monroe is the pseudonym of respected journalist and writer Linda Watson-Brown and former lawyer Maria Thomson. - Major publicity campaign planned following acres of coverage for their debut. Featured title in AVON's Closer book club - over 650k readers. All bookshop, independent and library sales to Gardners Books and Betrams.www.gardners.comwww.bertrams.com www.avon-books.co.ukavon@harpercollins.co.uk Competition: Ian Rankin, Mo Hayder, Stuart MacBride

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