Kerenza Penhaligan is a struggling actress: once feted as a future star, she is now reduced to taking embarrassing bit parts in TV dramas and standing in for other, more successful actors at read-throughs. Wondering where her career has gone, unable to pay her rent, and with her self-confidence flagging, she struggles to keep sight of the boundary between right and wrong. When she steps in to break up a violent confrontation in a bar, Kerenza finds herself caught up in a twilight world of conmen and cheats, of dubious moral choices, and temptingly high rewards. She meets the enigmatic Evan, who offers her a different avenue for her skills - in which her acting talent ends up proving far more useful off the stage than on it. Kerenza soon learns, however, that there's no such thing as a victimless con.

Author Biography

Ben Richards was born in 1964 and has previously worked as a Housing Officer in London and as a University Lecturer (Birmingham University). He is a scriptwriter for Spooks and No Angels, and he lives in North London. Previous titles: Confidence (TPB Sep 06); The Mermaid and the Drunks (Bfmt Sep 04); A Sweetheart Deal; The Silver River; Don't Step on the Lines; Throwing the House out of the Window