The teenage girl was the first victim.

Her throat cut to the bone, she didn"t stand a chance. Her mother, at least, had time to fight back. Briefly.

Called to the crime scene in leafy Wimbledon, Maeve Kerrigan"s first thought is that this is a domestic dispute gone bad. But the husband is found lying bleeding and unconscious in an upstairs room. As a criminal barrister he insists he"s the third victim rather than their prime suspect, even if he"s a man who makes enemies easily.

The only other surviving family member is fifteen-year-old Lydia. She was the one to find her mother and twin sister"s bodies - and the only witness Maeve has.But she isn"t talking...