Defending an accused rapist, a high-powered lawyer learns firsthand the terrible truth about her client . . . a discovery that propels her on a quest for justice and revenge in this addictively readable thriller from the author of The Cage.

Kelly McCann is a fighter. She’s fought to build a successful legal career, fought for the special needs of her family, and tirelessly fought for her clients. Her specialty is defending men accused of sex crimes––falsely accused, she always maintains. Her detractors call her a traitor to her gender, but she doesn't care. Badass and brilliant, Kelly simply loves to win, and as the story opens, she's done it again, securing an acquittal for a renowned scientist accused of sexually assaulting his female employees.  

 But the thrill of her victory is short-lived. That very night she, too, falls victim of a brutal sexual assault. And almost as horrific as the attack is the fact that she can't tell anyone it happened—not without destroying her career in the process.

 Kelly has never backed down from a fight and she’s not about to start pulling her punches now. Joining forces with her rapist's other victims, the shrewd lawyer plans to turn the tables on him. It’s not only about justice—these wronged women are out for revenge. 

 But someone, it seems, is out for them, and one by one, they find themselves facing even greater danger.

Two women walk into a lift. Only one walks out alive.

Lucy is the envy of everyone who knows her. The career she’s worked hard for is flying and she always looks perfectly put together with her beautifully styled blonde hair and designer clothes. But nobody knows she’s harbouring a dark secret, one that would tear her family apart if it’s ever revealed.

Shay is a hardworking young lawyer who’s been thrown a lifeline with her new job at Lucy’s company after being made redundant. She knows that she looks a little drab; she can’t afford to dress any better. But nobody knows that her problems run far deeper than money troubles. Her once perfect marriage has become dark and twisted, and she fears what her husband might do next.

One fateful evening, Lucy and Shay walk into a lift. Seven minutes later, one woman makes a phone call, saying that the lift is stuck, and no, the other woman can’t come to the phone right now… When the doors open, one woman is dead. The survivor tells the police it’s suicide. But with no witnesses and only her word for it, one vital question must be asked - is she telling the truth?

A gripping and unputdownable thriller that will keep you guessing into the early hours of the morning. Perfect for fans of Steve Cavanagh and Gillian McAllister.

This novel is also published in the US and Canada as The Cage.

Praise for Seven Minutes Later

‘A firecracker of a novel: it starts out with a bang and keeps on dazzling until its final, thrilling page’ Jessica Barry, bestselling author of Freefall and Don’t Turn Around

“A delicious thrill-ride of breakneck twists and turns, underpinned by complex characters ensnared in risky relationships. Evoking Grisham and Highsmith, Bonnie Kistler is a masterful plate-spinner of plot, deftly weaving together the worlds of fashion, high finance and white-shoe law to reveal their seamiest secrets and shared underbellies, all via characters who live, breathe, and scare the hell out of us on every page.”—Cassidy Lucas, author of Santa Monica

“An absolutely spellbinding thriller. . . . An utterly engrossing and thoroughly entertaining story.”—Booklist (starred review)

Combining the propulsive narrative drive of The Firm with the psychological complexity of The Silent Patient, a gripping and original thriller about two professional women—colleagues at an international fashion conglomerate—who enter an elevator together . . . but only one is alive when they reach the ground floor.

On a cold, misty Sunday night, two women are alone in the offices of fashion conglomerate Claudine de Martineau International. One is the company’s human resources director. Impeccably dressed and perfectly coiffed, she sits at her desk and stares somberly out the window. Down the hall, her colleague, one of the company’s lawyers, is buried under a pile of paperwork, frantically rushing to finish. 

Leaving at the same time, the two women, each preoccupied by her own thoughts, enter the elevator that will take them down from the 30th floor.

When they arrive at the lobby, one of the women is dead. Was it murder or suicide?

An incredibly original novel that turns the office thriller on its head, The Cage is a wild ride that begins with a bang and picks up speed as it races to its dramatic end.