Severed body parts. A woman in shadows. These are the only clues.

Someone has left a severed hand in the centre of Manchester and the only clue Detective Sergeant Jessica Daniel has to go on is CCTV footage of a woman in a long black robe placing it carefully on the ground.

With a lengthy missing persons list and frantic families wondering if the body part could belong to their absent loved ones, she has plenty to deal with - and that's before a detached finger arrives for her in the post.

By the time a second hand is found and a local MP's wife goes missing, Jessica is left struggling to find out who the appendages belong to, how they are connected and just what the mysterious woman in black has to do with it all.

PRAISE FOR KERRY WILKINSON

"A crime-writing colossus" The Sun

"A strong voice..." Publisher's Weekly

"Plotting, high drama and characterization are becoming the hallmarks of his thrillers" Lancashire Evening Post