Dear Benefactor

Three children walked away from the cottages on the edge of town toward Berwick Waters. Later that day, only two of them came back. . . . Alice Tully knows exactly what happened that spring day six years ago, though it's still hard for her to believe it. She'll never be able to forget, even though she's trying to lead a normal life--she has a job, friends, and a boyfriend whom she adores. But Alice's past is dangerous, and violent, and sad . . . and it's about to rip her new life apart. Includes a reader's guide.

Jennifer Jones has served her time for the murder of her best friend ... but can she ever return to normal?

Publishers Weekly

British novelist Cassidy's well-crafted tale of crime and punishment delves into the mind of a child killer and explores the path she takes once she repays her debt to society. Jennifer Jones, nicknamed JJ, never knew her father and was repeatedly emotionally abused and abandoned by her mother. One hot morning, when she is 10, she takes a walk to a nearby reservoir with two friends and returns hours later, leaving one friend behind forever. After spending six years in custody, Jennifer is released, given an alias and helped to forge a new life, but her past stands resolutely in her way. The story unfolds in present time with flashbacks blended seamlessly into the narrative, neatly fueling the growing suspense. When the full details of the murder are revealed, the moment is shocking in its simplicity. Cassidy consistently demonstrates that the abuse inflicted upon Jennifer during her childhood has left her detached, incapable of experiencing a range of emotions and doubting herself deserving of happiness and love. While psychologically astute, this portrayal keeps readers at a distance. It falls instead to the novel's structure, with its well-timed revelations, and to a finely tuned story line about the cat-and-mouse-games that the media plays with Jennifer, to hold the audience's interest. Ages 14-up. (Oct.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

When a 10-year-old girl kills her best friend, she is convicted of manslaughter and locked away. Seven years later she is released on licence with a new identity. In this brave and intelligent novel, Anne Cassidy explores a range of themes, questioning everything from the ethics of tabloid journalism to the outcome of ineffectual parenting. Asking more questions than it answers, this is a brilliant and disturbing piece of writing, that looks beyond the headlines and forces the reader to confront and question some of their own attitudes to contemporary issues. Seventeen-year-old Alice, released from prison with a new identity after serving six years for murdering a child, tries to keep her anonymity from the British tabloids, while haunted by memories of her past trauma Jennifer Jones, a young woman recently released from prison for killing her friend six years earlier, attempts to start a new life with a new identity, but soon learns it is impossible to escape from the past