Straight on til Morning

It was then that it struck me, with terrifying clarity. I was going to die. I was going to die at any moment. I was going to die, moreover, in a pair of tartan pyjamas and a grubby black cardigan. For whatever was attached to the headlights in front of me was actually driving on my side of the road . . . '

So begins Sally Matthews' date with destiny. She doesn't actually believe in destiny, of course - she's way too busy looking after her husband, arranging her step-daughter's wedding, and humouring her mum-on-a-mission (which currently involves Tony Blair). No surprise, then, that she's out late at night, with nothing but a dog and a cricket bat for company. In short, Sally hasn't time for a near-death experience. However handsome the man who's about to run her off the road . . .