Vacant Possession
Published
January 2010
Publishers
UK
Fourth Estate
US
Henry Holt
Lock your doors, barricade your windows: Muriel Axon is back in town. It's been ten years since she was locked away for killing her mad old mother. Now she wants to lay Mother's ghost to rest and find her missing child. But above all, she wants revenge. Her former social worker and her old neighbours have made new lives, but Muriel, with her talent for disguise, will infiltrate their homes and exploit their talents for self-destruction, until at last all her enemies are brought together for a gruesome finale. Hilary Mantel's razor-sharp wit animates every page. This malevolent black comedy has as many twists and turns as a well-plotted thriller.