BOOK DESCRIPTION
Film star Amelie Hart is the darling of the silver screen, appearing on the front pages of every newspaper. But at the peak of her fame she throws it all away for a regular guy with an ordinary job. The gossip columns are aghast: what happened to the woman who turned heads wherever she went?
Any hope the furore will die down are crushed when Amelie’s boyfriend Dave is arrested on charges of child sexual abuse. Dave strongly asserts his innocence, and when Amelie refuses to denounce him, the press witch hunt quickly turns into physical violence, and she has to flee the country.
While Dave is locked up with the most depraved men in the country and Amelie is hiding on the continent, Damaris, the victim at the centre of the story, is isolated – a child trying to make sense of an adult world.
The sexual abuse of a child is a sick, abhorrent crime, I think that people who abuse children in any way should be shipped off to a island in the middle of nowhere and not permitted to return to civilisation for the rest of their miserable lives. I also feel that the amazing advances in modern technology are a double edged sword, the things that we can do with our mobile phones are fantastic but it also makes it so much easier for perverts to share their stomach turning material with others who share their perversions. And as for the legal system, it's a unfortunate fact that despite this now being the 21st century, victims of sexual abuse are often treated worse than the perpetrators during the process of giving evidence in a court case, that is if the case actually goes to trial. You only have to read the harrowing accounts of the Rochdale victims to understand why some victims are reluctant to report incidents of sexual abuse. You claim that you were the victim of a paedophile ring and the reaction is oh well, not interested but if you say that you have been abused by someone who is let's say a celebrity or is connected in some way to a celebrity as happens in this enthralling thriller then the police are faster than Usain Bolt when it comes down to executing a warrant and tearing the accused life apart. Innocent until proven guilty gets thrown out the window, the accused name is accidentally (cough) leaked to the press, the accused loved ones are hounded by the media and the faceless know it all's start posting their judgemental comments whilst hiding behind their various screens.
Told from the perspectives of various characters but mainly by Dave and his girlfriend Amelie this is the dark hitting and thought provoking story of the devastation that is wrought on a man and his loved ones after he is accused of abusing the eleven year old daughter of his next door neighbours. The terrible treatment that he receives from the authorities both outside and inside the prison even before he is found innocent or guilty. His time behind bars,living in fear and with the constant threat of attacks from other prisoners hanging over his head, trying not to get riled up and lose his temper because of the derogatory comments that were being made about Amelie. It's a known fact that anyone who hurts a child is despised by both guards and prisoners alike and are treated with the disrespect that they rightly deserve in my opinion but only if the evidence against them is irrefutable. Dave seemed like a likeable character but appearances can be deceptive and unfortunately paedophiles don't walk around with large flashing arrows above their heads or with a large p tattooed on their foreheads (there's a idea) So was he just a really nice guy who had made the mistake of taking pity on a lonely little girl or was he guilty as charged? Meanwhile, Amelie found herself living under the media spotlight again, years after she, for reasons known only to herself had walked away from being Amelia Hart, movie star. Even before Dave's arrest,their relationship was on rocky ground and with the opportunity to return to her previous life, Amelie found herself torn between supporting Dave or walking away. Trapped in a living nightmare and unsure what to do, she feels lucky that she can turn to her best friend Lisa and manager Bernard for support and advice. But in her vulnerable state,she doesn't realise that she is being manipulated by someone for their own gain. Interspersed throughout the story was chapters that were narrated from the perspective of the alleged victim Domaris.The lonely, vulnerable young girl who was the lost voice of this story, the one who was forgotten amid all the clamour and speculation about Dave and the charges that he faced. Domaris was a fantastic character, feisty, brave and mature for her age, the question was,had she actually been molested, had she lied or was she a innocent victim who had found herself caught up in someone else's twisted schemes?
As with all of Michael Malone's thrillers, this is a extremely well written, chillingly realistic, topical story that has a cast of vivid, well rounded characters. The plot was elaborate, thought provoking, caused you to experience a wide range of emotions and holds the reader's attention from the first page right through to the last. A incredible read, worth far more than five stars and very very highly recommended.
AUTHOR BIO
Michael J. Malone was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country, just a stone’s throw from the great man’s cottage in Ayr. Well, a stone thrown by a catapult, maybe. He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. BLOOD TEARS, his debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize (judge:Alex Gray) from the Scottish Association of Writers and when it was published he added a “J” to his name to differentiate it from the work of his talented U.S. namesake. He can be found on twitter – @michaelJmalone1
PUBLICATION DATE: 17th July 2020
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