Autopsy of a Starved Heart

Sam is seventeen, starving herself and longing for oblivion. Her sister, Jena, is mentally scarred and desperate to remember. Between them, they share secrets too terrible to recall.

Eighteen months earlier, Sam was still full of hope: hope that she could piece together Jena's fragmented memory after the vicious attack that changed their family forever. But digging into the past unearthed long-hidden lies and betrayals, and left Sam feeling helpless and alone in a world designed to deceive her.

Now, in a last bid to save her from self-imposed shutdown, Sam's therapist is helping her confront her memories. But the road to recovery is a dangerous one. Because Sam has not only been lying to her doctors: she's been hiding dark secrets from herself.

Ruth Dugdall was born in Hull and studied English literature at Warwick University before training as a probation officer. She decided to concentrate on her writing career when her novel The Woman Before Me won the 2005 Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger Award. Her novels are informed by her direct experiences working within the criminal justice system and are published internationally. My Sister and Other Liars is her sixth novel.

Ruth lives in Suffolk with her husband and two children.