A Coat of Varnish William Morrow The first in a series

The first in a series of contemporary crime novels featuring thirty-something North London antiquarian bookseller Dido Hoare who must work out why someone has tried to force her off the road whilst driving home

First comes the imagining

and street waifs fly along the street at night on magic carpets pursued by the new Normal Police force

diffident school teacher to commit such a despicable crime

he accepts a job on the coast and quickly settles into his new life where he meets reclusive artist Lennie

A Coat of Varnish William Morrow The first in a seriesHumphrey Leigh, retired resident of Belgravia, pays a social visit to an old friend, Lady Ashbrook, who is waiting for medical test results. When Lady Ashbrook gets the all clear, she enjoys her new lease of life for ten days. When she is then found brutally murdered, the entire upper middle class neighbourhood is thrown into disarray.