A Sophie Rivers mystery, set in a multicultural college of further education in Birmingham. Tension mounts when a spate of fires leads to the death of a young teacher. Next, a safe hostel for women is razed to the ground. Is there any connection with the growing fundamentalist movement?
I wrote the opening pages on the beach in Crete. While all around me sensible people were simply enjoying the holiday sun, I was busy struggling with issues of racism and industrial relations at Sophie's beloved William Murdock College.
So much is thrown at her - arson, the death of one colleague, a vicious assault on another - you'd think she'd be relieved to be suspended for gross misconduct.
Although the crimes are solved, and she is reinstated, she starts to think hard about her future. Maybe, just maybe, there's a life after college…
Piatkus Books
7 May 1998
…the most popular character in crime fiction at the moment.
Evening Standard