The Killer's Daughter

Emma is angry – as angry as any teenager would be who has been uprooted from the crowded streets of Wandsworth to rural Wessex, where she will have to repeat a year at her new school. Things might not have been so bad but the news of her father’s past – he was accused (but acquitted) of murder – has also arrived. Emma finds herself the centre of a malicious bullying campaign. It is only Bruce who is prepared to stick with her and it is Bruce who comes up with a plan to uncover the truth about her grandmother’s death; a plan that lands Emma in real danger.

Lively, colloquial, contemporary, short chapters and plenty of dialogue, the narrative has the easy immediacy of a diary; the result – an enjoyable read for fans of McCombie, Limb et al. Emma is a very recognisable teenager with her obsession with John Travolta, her attention to her appearance, her views on the adults around her. It is her voice which gives the narrative its freshness. While not claiming great originality, and while some of the incidents may stretch credulity, nevertheless there is a feeling of authenticity especially in the bullying and in Emma’s final predicament which could be seen as a warning to young readers. A very accessible read for Year 7 up.