'It was a slaughterhouse, the most horrific scene I have ever witnessed...Olive Martin is a dangerous woman. I advise you to be extremely wary in your dealings with her.' The facts of the case were simple: Olive Martin had pleaded guilty to killing and dismembering her sister and mother, earning herself the chilling nickname 'The Sculptress'. This much journalist Rosalind Leigh knew before her first meeting with Olive, currently serving a life sentence. How could Roz have foreseen that the encounter was destined to change her life for ever? 'This is one of my books of the year' Sunday Times 'A devastating effective novel' Observer 'Awesomely accomplished ...The plot twists and grips, like an octopus' Daily Telegraph

米涅·渥特絲，1949年生於英國。1992年處女作《冰屋》獲評為英國推理作傢協會年度最佳新作，1993年第二本書《女雕刻傢》獲美國推理作傢協會愛倫·坡奬，1994年第三本書《毒舌鈎》獲英國推理作傢協會金匕首奬。

三年完成三部小說，獲得瞭大西洋兩岸象徵推理小說最高榮譽的所有奬項。從此，她登上繼阿嘉莎·剋裏斯蒂之後、已空缺長達近三十年的“懸疑小說女王”寶座。

與阿嘉莎·剋裏斯蒂成功塑造偵探英雄的方式不同，米涅·渥特絲扭轉瞭古典懸疑小說的程式，讓讀者一窺犯罪的事實，其間流淌著強烈、雄厚，甚至殘忍的激情，極具感染力，與丹·布朗並稱為“當代懸疑小說界至高雙峰”。