Minette Walters — Acid Row

Allen & Unwin 2002 Paperback, 344pp. 'An absolute must-read'NW 'Moves with such ferocity that you almost need to sit down and lock the doors behind you'Travellink 'The tension is palpable as Walters takes the spellbound reader to a surprising climax'Melbourne Weekly 'Acid Row' is the name the beleaguered inhabitants give to their housing estate. It is a no-man's land of single mothers and fatherless children-where angry, alienated youth control the streets. Into this battlefield comes Sophie Morrison, a young doctor visiting a patient in Acid Row. Little does she know that she is entering the home of a known paedophile.and with reports circulating that a tormented child called Amy has disappeared, the vigilantes are out in force. Soon Sophie is trapped at the centre of a terrifying siege, held hostage by a violent psychopath. Whipped to a frenzy by unsubstantiated rumour, the mob unleashes its hatred-against authority.the law.and 'the pervert'. 'Protecting Amy' becomes the catch-all defence for the terrible events that follow. And if murder is part of it, then so be it. But is Amy really missing?, (ISBN: 9781865089003). Good.