Even as a very young child Cassie Raven was intrigued by death but it is only as an adult that she gradually realises that it probably stemmed from losing her parents when she was only four. She lived with her grandmother but left home in her teens to live in various squats. Meeting Mrs E a teacher who recognised her intelligence changed her life completely. She took A levels and became a mortuary technician. A job she really loves. One day to her horror it is Mrs E's body brought in for a postmortem. She becomes convinced that her death was not an accident and sets about proving it in a race against time before the body is cremated. Despite her distrust of the police she finds an unlikely ally in DS Phyllida Flyte a policewoman who likes to go by the book. I found this book to be quite sad in places with the descriptions of the deceased and their families.