Aidan Poole logs on to his laptop late at night to Skype his girlfriend, Zoe. To his horror, he realises that there is someone else in her flat, and Aidan can only listen to the sounds of a violent struggle - and then the chilling sound of silence.

Aidan is desperate to find out if Zoe is OK. But then why is he so hesitant to call the police?

When his messages finally reach them, DCI Jonah Sheen's and his team take the case - and discover the body. They soon find that no-one has a bad word to say about Zoe, a big-hearted young woman at the centre of a curious web of waifs and strays, every one relying on her for support.

Each of these so-called friends is hiding dark secrets and buried resentments: has one of them been driven to do something unspeakable?

Or might Aidan have the biggest secret of them all?