It looks like a tranquil Christmas scene in a cozy living room-log fire, brightly lit tree, sheepskin rug, Vivaldi on the record player-but the appearance is deceptive. Caroline Hartley, the woman lying on the couch, has been brutally murdered. In Past Reason Hated , Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks uncovers the unusual and disturbing past of a victim for whom secrecy was a way of life. He finds a multitude of suspects: Caroline's lover, Veronica Shildon; Veronica's ex-husband, a famous composer; a feminist poet; the cast of a play Caroline was rehearsing for; and her reclusive, haunted brother, Gary. Chief Inspector Banks's fifth case is a suspenseful, shocking and ultimately satisfying tale of family secrets, hidden passions and desperate violence.