Jumping Tracks

Thomas is an amputee, a needy codependent and a gifted metal-smith who's recovering from several mental breakdowns. He's trying to forge a new path in life, but his attractive girlfriend Aafke-a Dunedin-based nurse- still seems too good to be true, despite the dark and licentious history she's already disclosed to him. Should he trust her assurances that her past is dead and buried, or trust his own growing sense that something's wrong?

Aafke's suspicious behavior intensifies when Thomas takes her on what's supposed to be a romantic getaway. First they travel to earthquake ravaged Christchurch to stay with Aafke's cantankerous grandmother. Aafke's family seems to be full of dark secrets too. Next they board the Tranzalpine train to Greymouth. The carriages become a trap. Who's taking who for a ride, and who keeps texting and calling Aafke on her cellphone?

Their already unstable relationship is dealt a seismic smack when the bodies of two former sex-workers-both related to Aafke's past- are discovered back in Dunedin. Aafke herself is now a target. She's being hunted down. Thomas must make a leap of faith and finally learn to go his own way in life, but, this far down the line, can he find the strength to do it, or will he simply derail again?

"I was immediately impressed. Jumping Tracks has a tightly structured plot but the characterisation is in no way restricted by the confines of the crime novel genre. The major characters are engaging, complex and challenging; quirky yet portrayed with depth and sensitivity. By examining the experiences of two misfits within society, Jumping Tracks deals with isolation and the craving for inclusion, sustaining tension and conflict throughout." Paddy Richardson, Best-selling Kiwi Crime Novelist.