"There it was again. More scrabbling. No question about it now. Someone, or something, was scratching at the window. Someone, or something, wanted me to open it up and let them in..." John Croydon is out of his depth. His latest client is classy, beautiful and very, very rich. And she's being stalked by her fianc 's ex-wife, who is threatening to disrupt the wedding, or worse. Croydon has just one week to persuade this inconvenient ex to leave the happy couple alone. Problem is, she's going to take some persuading. Because she's dead. Has been dead for some time. And she isn't looking pretty. From the author of cult vampire novel Suckers and Notting Hill ghost story Stiff Lips comes another ghost story, narrated with self-lacerating humour by a private eye who has a lot to learn about himself and the supernatural. In the course of an investigation that will lead him from London to Norfolk and, ultimately, to Venice, John Croydon will be forced to dig into his own troubled past for answers. He will discover that looks can be deceptive, women are not to be trusted, one canal is much like another... And that some ghosts are worse than others. Praise for Anne Billson"Billson honours the rules of the genre, then proceeds to have fun with them... (Suckers is) dark, sharp, chic and very funny"-Christopher Fowler, Time Out"A superb satirist"-Salman Rushdie"Merits a post position on everybody's reading list, even those who don't usually like vampire stories. It isn't splatter fiction; it's an honest piece of literature"-Michael Wood, London Review of Books"Enchanting and ominous at the same time: a rare and impressive piece of literary juggling"-Jonathan Carroll"A distinctive, original and refreshing debut"-Kim Newman - Starburst"A black and bloody celebration of wit, womanhood and slapstick, beautifully sustained to a thoroughly satisfying climax"-Chris Gilmore, Interzone"A slick and remarkably controlled performance which more than equals her satisfying first novel Suckers." "Ghost tales invariably leave me cold. I read (Stiff Lips) in a single highly enjoyable sitting"-Paul Rutman, Sunday Telegraph"With Stiff Lips, Billson overturns the clich s of the horror genre, establishing, in their stead, her own original voice"-Lucy O'Brien - The Independent"Sexy, sardonic and distinctly spooky... a tale to make you shiver - if you don't die laughing first"-Cosmopolitan"(Stiff Lips) achieves an authentic and unsettling nastiness' (Sunday Times) "A vastly entertaining story... As well as being a successful ghost story, Stiff Lips is an amusing satire... Funny and spooky-an excellent combination"-Sophia Watson, The Spectator