CJ Emerson's stunning debut - a psychological thriller with a plot 'like a nest of seething vipers'

---

Product Description

'Taking this baby feels no different from any of the others. People move aside long before Jess reaches them. Who needs a bell? she thinks; they can see I'm unclean. The corridor from the delivery room seems endless as she walks towards the nurses congregated at their station. The chatter quietens as she passes by and their heads rotate, but they avoid eye contact. Everyone belongs, except her.' A new life in Wales has not turned out to be the rural fantasy that social worker Jess imagined when she left London. Having put the memories of her previous harrowing cases behind her, she had hoped to embark on a simpler, more fulfilling future, but it seems there's no escape from evil, even in such a beautiful landscape. Just as Jess takes on a new case, she learns that the body of a young boy has been found in the woods close to her home. Her worst nightmare becomes reality as she realises he was a child she was supposed to protect. As her professional life gets harder to deal with, Jess is forced to come to terms with her own past when someone unexpectedly reappears. She finds herself crossing the line from investigator to victim, forced to question the very basis of her identity, and she can only wonder: who's there to protect the protector?

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #841398 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-16
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Review
'Beautifully written...with a plot like a nest of seething vipers' Andrew Taylor, author of The American Boy

---

Customer Reviews

A disturbing but exciting read.
"Objects of Desire" is a real page turner. C J Emerson has woven a complex and fast moving story with an intriguing twist in the tale. Beware, as the subject matter is very dark. If this tale had been written by a less skillful author the end result could have been very different. This book is however a triumph for lovers of fiction with some depth to it. I found it somewhat in the Barbara Vine (Ruth Rendell) mode.
I was hooked from the word go and really wanted to know what was going to happen next...

Now I want to buy the next C J Emerson novel!

Dramatic and darkly compelling - an excellent debut
"Objects of Desire" is the debut novel from C.J. Emerson. Social worker Jess Chadwick has escaped the pressured life of London and moved to the tranquil setting of the Welsh borders. However, when the body of a boy is discovered close to her house - a boy she was supposed to protect - she is drawn into the ensuing police investigation. At the same time she finds herself the target of a mysterious stalker who is not only hacking into her website but is also invading her privacy at home. Moreover, she has reason to suspect that the two events are not unconnected...

This is a fast-paced and complex story, full of intrigue and deception. The tension is developed continuously throughout the book as we discover more about the characters, and as shadows from Jess's own past start to re-emerge. Emerson's particular evocation of the Welsh borders as a bleak and isolated environment only helps add to the tension - as well as mirroring the main character's own state of mind. Her writing style, too, is easily readable and for the majority of the book flows very nicely. However, it should be said that the resolution feels somewhat rushed and uninspired, and though certainly dramatic, it lacks much of the emotional intensity which characterises the rest of the novel.

Emerson fleshes out the book with a cast of interesting and always quirky secondary characters, refreshing departures from the stereotypes of crime fiction. As regards Jess herself, however, it is difficult for the reader to feel completely sympathetic towards her, as she seems occasionally prone to acts of sheer irrationality, and to an extent is the maker of her own problems. Also, because of the nature of her past life, she is always kept at some distance from the reader, and rarely are we given the chance to fully engage with who she is. Despite these frustrations, however, she somehow remains a compelling character. Certainly as the web of deceit begins to close in around her, the reader is always provided with the incentive to read on.

"Objects of Desire" is an excellent and engaging debut novel, at the same time both pacy and complex. I definitely look forward to reading more of Emerson's work in future.

Dramatic and darkly compelling - an excellent debut
"Objects of Desire" is the debut novel from C.J. Emerson. Social worker Jess Chadwick has escaped the pressured life of London and moved to the tranquil setting of the Welsh borders. However, when the body of a boy is discovered close to her house - a boy she was supposed to protect - she is drawn into the ensuing police investigation. At the same time she finds herself the target of a mysterious stalker who is not only hacking into her website but is also invading her privacy at home. Moreover, she has reason to suspect that the two events are not unconnected...

This is a fast-paced and complex story, full of intrigue and deception. The tension is developed continuously throughout the book as we discover more about the characters, and as shadows from Jess's own past start to re-emerge. Emerson's particular evocation of the Welsh borders as a bleak and isolated environment only helps add to the tension - as well as mirroring the main character's own state of mind. Her writing style, too, is easily readable and for the majority of the book flows very nicely. However, it should be said that the resolution feels somewhat rushed and uninspired, and though certainly dramatic, it lacks much of the emotional intensity which characterises the rest of the novel.

Emerson fleshes out the book with a cast of interesting and always quirky secondary characters, refreshing departures from the stereotypes of crime fiction. As regards Jess herself, however, it is difficult for the reader to feel completely sympathetic towards her, as she seems occasionally prone to acts of sheer irrationality, and to an extent is the maker of her own problems. Also, because of the nature of her past life, she is always kept at some distance from the reader, and rarely are we given the chance to fully engage with who she is. Despite these frustrations, however, she somehow remains a compelling character. Certainly as the web of deceit begins to close in around her, the reader is always provided with the incentive to read on.

"Objects of Desire" is an excellent and engaging debut novel, at the same time both pacy and complex. I definitely look forward to reading more of Emerson's work in future.