Librarian Martha thought she was destined to remain single all her life (she had a “love curse” put on her when she was at school), but when she meets Alan the pair hit it off and get married. She’s not exactly head-over-heels, but Alan is solid; a good companion. Because of his job, though, Alan spends quite a bit of his time away from home, attending education conferences where he sells delegates sundry novelty items. But when Martha surreptitiously spots Alan arriving home one day, back from his latest jaunt, she notices something about him that sets alarm bells ringing. Peter Swanson is the master of the delicious set-up and this one is a doozy, grabbing you from the get-go and then never letting up. The book also features a character or two from previous novels (‘The Kind Worth Killing’ and ‘The Kind Worth Saving’) but you don’t need to have read them to enjoy this one. RM