A new direction for Robertson; this writing is sharp, humorous, and focuses on a variety of women living on the edge.

Some of these stories have been published in magazines, newspapers and anthologies, one has, surreally, been transformed into a Manga comic. They are collected in book form for the first time and bring together a dozen tales inspired, as the author herself puts it "by the consummate experts on the darker side of experience."

Novelist Wendy Robertson spent three years working with female prison inmates, and though the results may be dark on one level, on other levels they reflect the author's take on the recoverability of the human spirit, plus the qualities of stoicism, wit and irony. From plunging cat burglars, hallucinating old ladies, gender bender confessions, and women seeking fleshpot escapes, these short stories expand Robertson's already considerable reputation.

About the author: Since the early 1990s, the Co. Durham-based Wendy Robertson has become one of the country's best selling authors, with more than 20 novels to her name. Her latest book The Lavender House (2007) is due its paperback release from Headline September 2008.