Kirjahaku

It takes one woman on the edge to solve the murder of another. Elena Balan should be laying low. After all, she's on the run from a horrible mistake. A Romanian single mum, Elena arrives in London to discover that her lover, Frances, has vanished. To find her, Elena's 14-year-old daughter Ana enlists the help of a police officer, the disgraced former DC Robin Yarmouth. Although Frances' whereabouts remain a mystery, things begin looking up. Elena and Ana find an apartment, a job, and a new school. Then Elena's sex worker neighbour and friend is found dead. The police are certain it's suicide. Elena suspects otherwise and her instincts are not to let it go. But will Elena's investigations with Yarmouth prove her own undoing? ---- Elena in Exile is the first book in a projected series about the irrepressible Elena Balan and her journey towards becoming a Met police detective. Set in London's Soho, forever on the cusp of escaping its sleazy past, the novel has a cast of rogues, misfits and eccentrics including Elena's impetuous teen daughter Ana, her film-loving boyfriend Chris, and Italian cafe owner Luca. Blending the observation and humanism of Henning Mankell with the narrative drive and darkness of Jo Nesbo, Elena in Exile is a shocking and surprising debut.

‘I wanted to get to know the country I’d lived in my whole life in an entirely new way. To see how its landscapes, peoples and climate changed as I proceeded south. And of course I wanted to test my mettle. But really, this was more than just something I wanted to do; it was something I needed to do’. Gavin Boyter is an ordinary man, a Scottish filmmaker living in London with little career prospects and a dwindling personal life. An amateur runner, he had an impressive selection of races under his belt, however with each marathon he was left with a thirst for more. A need to do something grandiose and extraordinary. Then he found ultra-running. Adventurous, Epic, Enduring. Ultra-running is more than just a ‘fun run’, each race spanning hundreds of miles. Engrossed in this new-found world, Gavin decided it was time he put himself and his physical endurance to the ultimate test. Naturally, he made the decision to run 1,100 miles in under a month. Described by world record holder and ultra-endurance athlete Sean Conway as ‘an epic adventure on our epic island’, Downhill From Here: Running from John O’Groats to Land’s End is a witty, hearty and altogether inspirational story of an average man taking on an extraordinary feat. Immersed in Gavin Boyter’s adventure, his wry yet compelling voice takes us through the highs and lows of an astounding journey, showing just how far an ‘ordinary runner’ can go.