Sharp Scratch — Martine Bailey

'A brilliant and darkly compelling thriller, with a genuinely creepy mix of mystery, psychology and murder.' - S. D. Sykes, author of Plague Land

'A dazzling new voice in crime fiction. Taut, twisty and addictive. Martine Bailey is one to watch.' - Louisa Treger, author of Madwoman

Five candidates. One job. A killer prepared to murder their way to the top.

Salford, 1983. Lorraine Quick is a single mother, a member of a band going nowhere fast, and personnel officer at the grim Memorial Hospital.

A new general manager position is being introduced, and Lorraine's recent training in the cutting-edge science of psychometric testing will be pivotal. As the profiles start to emerge, a chilling light is cast on the candidates.

When a lethal dose of anaesthetic is deliberately substituted for a flu vaccine, and a second suspicious death quickly follows, it's clear a killer is at work in the hospital. Can Lorraine's personality tests lead her to the murderer?