Now here we have a gem of a book, one meant to be read and re-read. This is, in fact, the only one of Barbara Vine's books I am saving for myself; I have released maybe 4 of them but I have to have this one. We start with the crime, the perpetrator and her execution, but as the book rolls on, we go back in time and then we're not so sure that the right person was sent to prison in the first place. Or was she? The characters are neurotic to begin with, and the way the author brings them to life is magnificent. The story's central mystery is really never solved...it's one of those where you have to decide for yourself. I most highly recommend it.