Product Description

It is 1985: a man runs for his life - exhausted, wounded, hunted remorselessly by a woman assassin known only as The Head Hunter. At the end, he has just enough energy to spit in her face. 2001: sixteen-year-old Kerry Lumsdon runs across the same terrain. She runs to win and she runs to forget. When a headless body is found in the wastelands of the Seahills Estate, Detective Inspector Lorraine Hunt is called in to investigate. Kerry and Lorraine, different ages and from different worlds, come together when Claire Lumsdon, Kerry's sister, is violently kidnapped - the fourth in a series of abductions of young girls. Headstrong, wilful and convinced the police can't help, Kerry sets out on a frantic search of her own. But her hunt takes her to a world she never knew existed: a violent underworld; a sixteen year old murder; and, finally, to secrets about her own past which her mother hoped she'd never have to face. And all the time, the clock is ticking for Claire.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13906 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01-20
• Original language: English
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 512 pages

Synopsis
It is 1985: a man runs for his life - exhausted, wounded, hunted remorselessly by a woman assassin known only as The Head Hunter. At the end, he has just enough energy to spit in her face. 2001: sixteen-year-old Kerry Lumsdon runs across the same terrain. She runs to win and she runs to forget. When a headless body is found in the wastelands of the Seahills Estate, Detective Inspector Lorraine Hunt is called in to investigate. Kerry and Lorraine, different ages and from different worlds, come together when Claire Lumsdon, Kerry's sister, is violently kidnapped - the fourth in a series of abductions of young girls. Headstrong, wilful and convinced the police can't help, Kerry sets out on a frantic search of her own. But her hunt takes her to a world she never knew existed: a violent underworld; a sixteen year old murder; and, finally, to secrets about her own past which her mother hoped she'd never have to face. And all the time, the clock is ticking for Claire.

From the Publisher
AN UNPUTDOWNABLE DEBUT IN THE BESTSELLING TRADITION OF MARTINA COLE

From the Back Cover
1985: a man runs for his life –wounded, exhausted, hunted remorselessly by a woman assassin known only as The Headhunter. 2001: sixteen-year-old Kerry Lumsdon runs across the same terrain. She runs to win and she runs to forget.

When a headless body is found in the wastelands of the Seahills Estate, Detective Inspector Lorraine Hunt is called in to investigate. But then a more urgent case lands on her desk when Kerry’s sister, Claire, is violently kidnapped.

Headstrong, willful, and wary of the police, Kerry sets out on a frantic search for Claire. But her hunt takes her to a violent underworld, a sixteen-year-old murder and, finally, to secrets about her own past her mother hoped she’d never have to face.

And all the time, for Claire, the clock is ticking …

‘A convincing portrayal of a violent underworld’ Independent

‘Fast-paced’ Telegraph Magazine

‘A rattling good plot … it doesn’t stop running until the final page by which time you will be breathless’ Newcastle Upon Tyne Journal

Customer Reviews

Truly dire
Frankly, giving this book even one star seems overly generous. The writing is clunky and amateurish; characters are trite paper-thin stereotypes (further burdened with the author's tiresome attempts at the regional accent - yes, we know they're from the north-east, yer don't need to keep reminding us,) and come and go in a confusing blur, with many serving no purpose at all; the plot makes a Victorian melodrama look sophisticated; and the dialogue and general narrative are littered with so much unnecessary swearing that the author's limited vocabulary is embarrassingly obvious.

How this ever got past agents and editors to get into print is beyond me, and some of the rave reviews on this site are truly mind-boggling (the comparisons with James Lee Burke and Thomas Harris made me laugh out loud). If you like crime fiction, don't waste your money on this awful stuff; try a proper writer like Ian Rankin, Donna Leon, Dennis Lehane or (if you've got a strong stomach) Derek Raymond - classic stuff that knocks spots off this dismal effort.

exellant debut!!!!

i was not sure when i picked this book up if it was for me or not, boy was i wrong it is fantastic the characters are so real that you actually feel as if you know them and that you are living it, i have never read a book before that i so much enjoyed ever.
and i read consatantly at least three books a week. cant wait to read more of her work.not only is the plot exceptional it takes you right to the end
and you wont be dissapointed!!!!!!

Wow
This is the first in what looks like a fantastic series. Could not put it down. She gives a true picture of life on inner city estate. These people are everyday heros struggling to live in this world, not plastic penthouse creeps with loads of money. Fantastic