But at the start of a new term, an incident involving the children of all three women occurs in the playground, causing a rift between them and other parents. Minor at first but escalating fast, until the whispers and rumours become vicious and spiteful, and the truths blur into lies. It was always going to end in tears, but no one thought it would end in murder ...'Brilliant, stand-out, superbly clever. Moriarty writes vividly, wittily and wickedly' Sunday Express 'A nuanced psychological study of the elements of motherly and matrimonial behaviour' The Sunday Times 'Blame and guilt, forgiveness and retribution, love and betrayal. A tense page-turning story ...a great read' Mail on Sunday 'Staggeringly brilliant ...literally unputdownable' Sophie Hannah 'Blending romance, comedy and mystery, this is a wonderful book - full of brains, guts and heart' Sunday Mirror 'Tolls a warning bell about the big little lies we tell to survive' Washington Post 'A fantastically nimble writer, so sure-footed that the book leaps between dark and light seamlessly' Entertainment Weekly