“My mother started to suffer from multiple sclerosis, but nobody knew what MS was then. My father didn't - and later he suffered a great deal of guilt over that. It was an awful business and very fraught.”

British crime writer and novelist, active from the 1960s through the 2010s, she is best known for her psychological thrillers and detective novels, often exploring human morality and societal dysfunction. Her work spans the Inspector Wexford series and standalone novels like *The Wife in Black*, blending sharp social observation with gripping storytelling.