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This is a powerful and compelling piece of work, in which the heroine is taken to the furthest extremes of human behaviour and forced to confront the darkness at the heart of the soul. Helen Kovacs has been researching the Nazi occupation of eastern Europe, though she has chosen to keep her research from her close friend Faith Lange. But then Helen is killed, much to Faith's horror. At first, she believes that the police have found the murderer, but Faith begins to suspect that the man in custody is not the man who killed her friend. At the same time, journalist Jake Denbigh believes that there is more to Helen's murder than meets the eye; Jake has discovered that among the supposed concentration camp victims who have escaped from Minsk, several war criminals have disguised themselves. It would appear that Faith's much-loved grandfather Marek may be one of these. But who is responsible for Helen's death? Someone from this dark past, or a totally unexpected (and well-hidden) source?

What makes Banks' novel so forceful is the strength of its dual narrative: as Faith delves into the secrets of her own family, Jake travels to the mass graves in the Kurapaty forest in Minsk, on a related (but even more dangerous) quest. This is psychological thriller writing of a rare order; Banks' publishers liken her to Minette Walters and Barbara Vine, and the comparisons are not overoptimistic. Both Faith and Jake are fully rounded figures, and we are thoroughly involved in their danger.