Anne Youngson’s diverting short stories are gleefully grim; brimful of sudden violence, overwhelming emotion and salient life lessons, where everyday people — hairdressers, housekeepers and wildlife photographers — are at the mercy of dark minds and messy motivations.<br /> <br /> There’s an accomplished liar who knows ‘you have to be within touching distance of the truth’ to be believable (Empty Nest); a cosy dinner party, in the titular story, that becomes wincingly uncomfortable as the host provokes soul-searching in her guests; while the narrator of The Weekend In Question finds a body and discovers the wealthy people she cleans for are as ‘full of ambivalence and good intentions’ as she is.

A darkly entertaining collection of stories full of colourful suspects and complicated motives, including the brilliantly told title story of a vengeful dinner party host.