One of our Great Reads You May Have Missed in 2012.
A group of rowdy kids on a bus, things sound nasty, they turn on a black boy, chase him off, a stranger intervenes and two boys are injured. This absolutely brilliant crime tale is told in short sections by witnesses and the victims' families. I love her writing and intend to champion her to stardom for she really is one of the best of our new crime writers. She is the creator of the ITV series "Blue Murder" and has just written its prequel ("Dead To Me"), plus a couple of other diverse thrillers. You must seek her out.
On a winter's evening, a trio of unruly teenagers board a bus, ganging up on Luke Murray, hurling abuse and threatening to kill him. The bus is full but no one intervenes until Jason Barnes, a young student, challenges the gang. Luke seizes the chance to run off the bus, but he's followed. Andrew Barnes is dragged from the shower by his wife Valerie: there's a fight in the front garden and Jason's trying to break it up. As Andrew rushes to help, the gang flees. Jason shouts for an ambulance for Luke, but it is he who will pay the ultimate price. Split Second, Cath Staincliffe's insightful and moving novel, explores the impact of violent crime - is it ever right to look the other way?
