It can be difficult to write a book together well. Kim Kane and Marion Roberts do a wonderful job though. They have clearly injected their own style and flavour into the voices of each of the girls, but the exchange of emails between these two is folded neatly and flawlessly into the rest of the story. The twist in the crime, the whodunit element, might be guessed early by those savvy (or paranoid) enough to ask the right questions, but that won’t dull the wave of fear that is sure to grip readers as they turn the final page.

Cry Blue Murder is not based on a real crime, but the authors base their writing on evidence typically collected for a crime. In doing so, they have managed to incorporate a sense of true crime, giving the story a chilling immediacy, albeit one that may date the book in future. This is a particularly unusual book for a collaboration, but one that will linger in the memories of its readers.