Bettina Whitelaw is a grand dame of the English literary scene. In her eighties, with a beautiful flat in Holland Park and a comfortable income, her life is not dissimilar to that of her wealthy, elegant neighbours. But her background most certainly is. Brought up in Bundaroo, a small town in the Australian outback, Bettinas childhood was dominated by the relentlessly blazing sun, by the long daily walk to school, and by the simmering animosities of smalltown life. The family house was a simple shack and her parents constantly struggled to make ends meet. Aged sixteen, Bettina managed to escape from Bundaroo and to begin her literary career in Europe. But now, more than sixty years later, her past is coming back to haunt her. As she embarks upon the painful process of writing her memoirs, images from her childhood begin to re-surface. And when her former housekeeper is the victim of a violent attack, Bettina begins to realise that she herself is in serious danger – a danger that has its roots in a small, dusty outback town… A true page-turner, A Cry From the Dark is a tour-de-force by one of Britains finest crime writers.

“A CRY FROM THE DARK is an intriguing novel” Times Literary Supplement 

“The invaluable Robert Barnard is no time with his annual well-chosen gift to mystery readers…A well-plotted novel of character.” Washington Post

Robert Barnard on top form Scotsman.com