A serial killer stalks women in northern England in this psychological thriller by the New York Times–bestselling author of the Inspector Banks series. On a balmy June night, Kirsten, a young university student, is strolling home through a silent moonlit park when she is viciously attacked. When she awakens in the hospital, she has no recollection of that brutal night. But then slowly, painfully, details reveal themselves—dreams of two figures, one white and one black, hovering over her; snatches of a strange and haunting song; the unfamiliar texture of a rough and deadly hand . . . In another part of the country, Martha Browne arrives in a Yorkshire seaside town, posing as an author doing research for a book. But her research is of a particularly macabre variety. Who is she hunting with such deadly determination? And why? Published in the UK as Caedmon’s Song Praise for The First Cut “An exceptionally well-crafted psychological thriller.” —Toronto Globe and Mail “This atmospheric tale of suspense will keep readers wondering what’s really going on. . . . Highly recommended.” —Library Journal (starred review) “[An] intricately constructed, stand-alone novel of suspense and revenge. . . . [A] knuckle-biting end.” —Publishers Weekly “A brutally efficient page-turner that shows a welcome new side to Banks’s accomplished creator.” —Kirkus Reviews