“She stabbed her husband while he was sleeping and then cut off his head with a pair of garden shears.” The actions of Belen Vasquez, a client of Maya Seale, may seem extreme, but how does anyone know how they would respond to years of abuse. When enough is enough…
Beth Murphy is on the run, trying to leave an abusive relationship behind. She has been planning this for at least the last ten months, if not longer, but is still worried he will find her, somehow. We haven’t yet been introduced to this husband of hers but it sounds…
Before we even explore the story Isobel Blackthorn highlights to the reader that this novel has been written to honour and remember those individuals imprisoned in Agricola Penitenciaria in Tefia under General Franco’s regime. Located on the island of Fuerteventura this prison was brutal, likened to the conditions one would…
“She was Sissy Radley. Seven years old. Blond hair.” “The shoe was small. Red and white leather. Gold-tone buckle… And then he saw her. He took a breath and raised his hand.” Three decades on, Star Radley, Sissy’s sister, is still struggling with everything that has been thrown at her….
Imagine finding a notebook left in a cafe which contains the saddest thoughts of another within its pages. This is exactly what happens to Monica, a former lawyer-cum-cafe owner in Fulham, London. One day, while clearing a table she stumbles upon a green notebook, just like the ones she used…
Marie has gone to watch her friend Colleen sing. She recently won a TV Talent Show and since then has literally become one of the most popular, up and coming young singers around. For that reason, this year’s concert in Pavilions Garden Park on the west side of Birmingham City…
In the aftermath of a fire breaking out at a remote house near Aylesbury, a badly burned and blackened body is found. However, it is definitely not the previous owner of the place as she has unfortunately just passed away. Perhaps it was a vagrant trying to stay warm and…
It’s the summer of 1998 and seven friends have just finished their final exams. School is over and now all they have in front of them is warm, relaxing days before college starts in September. Coming from a small mining village in The Midlands just outside Nottingham, Neve and her…
Charlie doesn’t seem to like backpackers or the fact that they represent privilege, freedom and even perhaps naivety. All she sees is the way these individuals take over cities and countries, not necessarily thinking about the impact they have on the local communities. But then she is in Thailand herself,…
Natalie is back in town, returning from Mallorca to the firm after several years enjoying life as the landlord of her very own Spanish bar with her wayward boyfriend, Jose. Her reality check came when she received a call from her mum’s next-door neighbour explaining that Anna, her rock, had…