The infamous Parker–Hulme murder case inspired this frightening tale of adolescent transgression in an English seaside town.
When a thirteen-year-old girl returns from boarding school to her small hometown in Merseyside for summer break, her best friend, Harriet, is not back yet, and she's restless, anxious for something—anything—to happen. In this state of troubled anticipation, she visits the beach and encounters Peter Biggs, an elegant yet disheveled man in the throes of middle age and an unhappy marriage. A stirring inside of the budding woman makes her feel irresistibly attracted to this man . . . and simultaneously repulsed. But she doesn't dare do anything about it until Harriet arrives.
One year older and much more mischievous, Harriet returns to find her friend in a state of confused obsession. The two girls hatch a plan to "humble" Biggs. At Harriet's command they proceed to methodically spy on him and...