In a world grown increasingly confessional, where everyone, it seems, bares their souls to therapists or Jerry Springer, the secrets we keep become inevitably more interesting. In the fifth novel featuring Manchester's own Sal Kilkenny, Cath Staincliffe sets out to explore this intriguing terrain. And for those of us who live and work in the city, it's a bonus to see the tale unfold against a familiar backdrop honestly rendered.

A black woman with a history of mental illness commits suicide; a teenage boy suddenly changes from being a bright, open lad to a churlish, truanting stranger. It's their families who refuse to accept the verdicts of the rest of the world, and it's Sal who is hired to scrape away at the surfaces until the unvarnished truth is revealed. And an uncomfortable set of revelations it is.

As always, Cath Staincliffe counterpoints these individual human tragedies against the backdrop of Sal's own family life; the difficulties of finding enough space for herself amid the demands of childcare, the festive season and everyday relationships. It's a balance that rewards the reader, and there's no doubt this is the best of Sal's outings. It's always exciting to see a writer get better and better, and Cath Staincliffe is doing just that.