Morning (or good night if I am talking to my readers Stateside!)….. we have posters ready for the release of 'Court of Contempt', my very first novel, and the first part of the 'Family Division' series, following the travails of Brett Madigan, a high-flying divorce barrister in London, and Darya Ross, an easily-distracted child protection barrister. The two main protagonists both live in the county of Hampshire, and meet for the first time on a train journey home one late evening in November 2011. A large dollop of chemistry develops between them. At the outset we know Winchester-residing Brett wants to keep his marriage a secret from Brockenhurst-bound Darya. The reader quickly becomes a voyeur into their respective lives. Brett wants an affair to fill the void of a sexless marriage to Lucy, someone to step into the shoes of the mysterious 'Godiva', with whom he enjoyed a most passionate affair. Although ostensibly independent, Darya wants to fill a similar void after her long-term boyfriend Nathan suddenly left in 2009.

Brett has other things to worry about - namely the arrival of a dashing electrician to finish the brand new kitchen who catches the eye of his bored and unfulfilled wife Lucy. Darya, a shoe and rugby aficionado who is equally bored with her career, clashes with ghastly opponents, judiciary and a strange man in the New Forest. Brett is a welcome distraction from her own disillusionment, but will she find out his secret before it's too late?

The first book of the 'Family Division' series gives the reader a peek into the lives of two different barristers, practising in different sub-areas of family law, with very different pressures and outlooks. Not everything is at it seems…...