One-hit Wonder

Part romance, part mystery, there's enough intrigue, techno-coloured characters and vivid scenery here to justify the hefty length. In fact, it ends almost too soon. Jewell manages to cover a cross-section, from the trepidation of the wide-eyed innocence of young first time visitors to London to the insecurities of being thirty-something. The action darts between past and present, prose flicking effortlessly from Bee Bearhorn, the glamorous one-time popstar, to her younger step-sister, Ana. The latter's adventure begins when she is forced to go to London in the wake of Bee's apparent suicide, and cannot help but be drawn in to the mystery which shrouds the latter years of her sister's life, a time in which, Ana has not been involved. Ana is captivating and sweet as the reluctant heroine, and with the help of Lol, Bee's crazy best friend, now Ana's soul-mate, and big, handsome Flint - two people who truly loved Bee - she begins her mission in the intimidating city of London. It's a shock for a girl who has lived all her life in the shadow of her sister and her mother, and proves to be the making of her. As she fills in the gaps, she encounters a barrage of fascinating individuals who help to form a new, compelling image of Bee. As Ana says, her sister is a dichotomy; fortunately for the reader, teasingly short chapters involving flash-backs are morsels bestowed by Jewell. It's now far enough away from the 1980s for retrospective films and books, yet close enough for everyone to remember the decade which taste forgot. With the action ducking and diving between this and contemporary culture, while Jewell often tips her hat to both, there is a vivid backdrop to a spectacular story. A delectable jigsaw of a book. (Kirkus UK)