Ruth Rendell — The Tree of Hands

Arrow (UK) 1994 Paperback, 272pp. Once, when Benet was fourteen, she and her mother had been alone in a train carriage when she had tried to stab her with a carving knife. It has been some time since Benet had seen her mad mother so when she arrives at the airport, Benet tries not to hate her. But then the tragic death of a child begins a chain of deception, kidnap Liza and her mother have led a strange, enclosed life together in their remote home. But all this must end. (ISBN: 9780099434702). Very Good.