A young woman, sheltered from the outside world, comes to terms with her deluded, murderous mother--and what she must do to survive When the police come to the door at the gatehouse of a remote British estate, sixteen-year-old Liza and her mother know that their lives are about to change forever. After all, Liza watched her mother kill a man--well, more than just one. Having lived as a virtual hermit on the estate, Liza knows nothing of the outside world, but she sets off to find her way with the help of a newly won lover. As she learns about those around her, she begins to discover herself--and just how alike she and her mother might be. Rendell carefully unravels this tale of an obsessive bond between mother and daughter and of hope for a new life in a strange land.