Unsolicited

So, this was a hot flush. The utterly pointless flag-bearer of menopause. That explained a lot. She held her body as upright as possible on the cramped seat, like one of those hot-stepping lizards in the Namib desert and tried to look like she was having a detecting epiphany.

‘Shame, you’re really sweating, hey,’ said Gladys.

‘Don’t worry. It’s coming for you, too.’

Normally quick witted and sharp eyed, Detective Fatima Matthews is being sucker punched by menopause, and that’s not even the half of it. Someone is playing deadly games with a local publisher, there’s a reader found dead with melted eyes and just when she could really use the career boost, her internal polygraph has decided to flatline.

As the threats escalate and one crisis triggers another, Fatima must come to terms with what it means to face your frailties, and whether a second chance is really possible when your greatest adversary is time.

With plagiarism scandals, buried secrets and red herrings aplenty, Andrea Shaw’s thrilling debut gives the local publishing industry its moment in the sun.

Andrea Shaw is a debut author who works in the film industry. After studying Drama and English at UCT, she cut her editing teeth in a newsroom in London. Since then, she has edited across most genres – from social justice documentaries to award winning drama series. She lives on the slopes of Table Mountain with her family and other animals.