The Scold's Bridle

Minette Walters delivers a masterful psychological thriller that begins with a gruesome death and unravels into something far more sinister. When an elderly woman is found dead wearing an ancient torture device called a scold's bridle, Detective Sergeant Cooper must navigate a web of family secrets, bitter inheritances, and long-buried resentments. Walters' razor-sharp prose cuts through the genteel facade of English village life to expose the darkness beneath. Perfect for fans of P.D. James and Ruth Rendell who love their mysteries atmospheric and deeply unsettling.