The Cradle in the Grave

Hannah focuses on the dangerous gray area between guilt and innocence in her provocative fifth mystery featuring Det. Sgt. Charlotte "Charlie" Zailer and Det. Constable Simon Waterhouse of the Culver Valley police (after The Dead Lie Down). When TV producer Felicity "Fliss" Benson receives an anonymous card with 16 numbers on it, she's puzzled, but she soon has bigger worries. Her boss, famed investigative journalist Laurence "Laurie" Nattrass, suddenly puts her in charge of his BBC documentary on the "miscarriages of justice" surrounding women falsely accused of murdering their children. One of the documentary subjects is Helen Yardley, convicted of killing her two infant sons, whom she claimed were victims of crib death. When Helen, whose conviction was later overturned, is murdered and an identical number card is found on her body, Fliss fears the killer is targeting those connected to the documentary. Hannah merges her myriad story lines with practiced ease. 10-city author tour. (Sept.)