Product Description

The 1980s. Kate Meaney - with her 'Top Secret' notebook and
Mickey her toy monkey - is busy being a junior detective. She observes
goings-on and follows 'suspects' at the newly opened Green Oaks shopping
centre and in her street, where she is friends with the newsagent's son,
Adrian. But when this curious, independent-spirited young girl disappears,
Adrian falls under suspicion and is hounded out of his home by the press.

Then, in 2004, Adrian's sister Lisa - stuck in a going-nowhere relationship
- is working as a deputy manager at Your Music, a cut-price record store.
Every day she tears her hair out at the horribly bizarre behaviour of her
customers and colleagues. But together with security guard Kurt, she
becomes entranced by the little girl they keep glimpsing on the centre's
CCTV. As their after-hours friendship intensifies, they investigate how
these sightings might be connected to the unsettling history of Green Oaks
itself.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #332 in Books
• Published on: 2007-01-04
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Guardian
'An exceptional, polyphonic novel of urban disaffection, written
with humour and pathos'

Daily Mail
'A superb, haunting novel from a new literary talent'

Jonathan Coe
'Skewers our consumer society in all its absurdity and terrible
sadness. A great debut novel from an awesomely talented writer'

Customer Reviews

Dissapointing
Having read so many good reviews I looked forward to reading this book. It started off well, but introduced characters I did not care about, and I actually could not finish the book, try as I might. I find it hard to understand what most of the other readers got so excited about. Perhaps it appeals to youngsters who spend their lives in shopping malls. I couldn't relate to the book at all.

What was lost.....
Only when you get to the end and all is revealed do you realise how good of a book this is. The main character, a young girl named Kate Meaney is so, so likeable. She almost becomes your new best friend. Never in a book have I become so attached to a character. The story is also excellent, especially how all the characters are linked through this special little girl. I would have given this book 5 stars if it wasn't for the dullness of the other two main characters, Kurt & Lisa. You cannot help but be bored with these pitiful characters who have no likeability factor.
Great book though, highly recommended!!

Fantastic Read
I read loads of books and constantly trawl the Amazon website for reviews. This is the first time I have felt compelled to add my tuppence worth on a novel. I read this book in three days and I just think it is a fantastic piece of writing - haunting, funny, poignant. It made me laugh out loud in places. Having just finished it I feel a sense of loss for the characters who in that short space of time have made such an impression on me. Even (or especially) Mickey the stuffed monkey will stay with me. He's the silent star of the book! My normal commuter reading fare is a learned classic or biography - I thought this would be light relief. It's not. The characters and setting are every bit as vivid and thoughtful as anything you will find in so-called heavy-weight novels.