OK I was right. There were nuances and details I had not properly fleshed out but I was dead on with the general gist. Obviously I can’t say too much here because I don’t want to spoil the mystery for anyone who has not read Little Face.

My one disappointment with the book was that it contains one of these scenes: hero/ine is two steps in front of the police and one step behind the murderer and is at that crucial point where they are about to reveal/find the evidence/set a trap when the killer turns round and there is a big scene between the two, killer admits all and then tries to kill hero/ine, everything goes black and police arrive in the nick of time.  Little Face is very good, so good that I was just not expecting this. I apologise if that spoils anybody’s experience. It is a very good book indeed; read it. I am planning to read everything else she has written and am fortunate that a lot of her work is in our writer’s room at Napier.

That type of scene reminds me of a book a friend once lent to me. Unless it is an anathema to me, I will follow up any book recommendation especially if the person is  animated and passionate about that recommendation. One of my colleagues on the course, is soooo passionate about Dave Eggers that I added him to my ‘to read list’, pretty near the top, convinced of his brilliance purely by her reactions. Incidentally, I was in the library this evening but could not borrow any books because I keep forgetting to carry my list around with me. D’oh! And when are libraries going to accept card payments for fines? Hello? Anyway. Yes. A friend of mine lent me her favourite book, a Martina Cole novel – I think it was Ladykiller. I remember the name George Markam. It was a really good story – serial killer makes a serious mistake when he sexually assaults (can’t remember if he killed her…think so) the daughter of a major London gangster. There is a female detective and everything is going along swimmingly, really good until female detective and gangster decide that they are in love. Gangster renounces all the unsavoury parts of his empire; the drugs and prostitution and suddenly what was a very good serial killer with a difference becomes a  patronising Mills and Boon. I was so disappointed! If there had to be a love story, he should have kept the drugs and prostitution and let us  see the dilemma unfold as two people from two different worlds collide…or let’s get back to the original story.