The Runaway

She has nowhere left to turn…

A twisty, compelling, thought-provoking new crime thriller from a major new talent.

‘Outstanding, gritty and hard-hitting, yet woven with humour’ Jo Jakeman, author of Sticks and Stones

‘Edgy and fast moving’ Danuta Kot, author of Life Ruins

A body without a name…
One night, the body of a young woman is found, naked but for a necklace, tied to a statue outside a block of luxury flats. There should be an outcry. But the police rule it a suicide, and move on.

A case where nothing is as it seems…
Private investigators Lee and Jo, owners of No Stone Unturned detective agency in Leeds, are tasked with looking into the case. Who was the woman? Did she really kill herself?

A world where danger lurks around every corner…
As they investigate, Lee and Jo uncover shocking secrets. And when they see links between this case and another they are working on, they are forced to question – is any woman ever truly safe in this world? And are they risking their own lives by delving too deep?

Praise for Ali Harper:

“I adored this rollicking crime caper” Rachel Sargeant, author of The Perfect Neighbours

‘I loved the humour that Harper imbued every page with’ Liz Mistry, author of Unquiet Souls

‘This book is a brilliant high-wire of a novel’ SJ Bradley, author of Guest

Reviews

‘Another outstanding book from Ali. Gritty and hard-hitting, yet woven with humour. It’s my kind of book!’ Jo Jakeman, author of Sticks and Stones

‘Edgy and fast moving. In Lee and Jo, Harper has created Leeds' answer to VI Warshawski’ Danuta Kot, author of Life Ruins

Praise for Ali Harper:

“I adored this fresh and fearless duo of private investigators, wise-cracking their way along the mean streets of Leeds in this rollicking crime caper” Rachel Sargeant, author of The Perfect Neighbours

‘Lee and Jo are my two best girl heroes! Harper has in these two PI's created a team that I think will endure for a long time. I loved the humour that Harper imbued every page with. At the most poignant of moments, the gritty, down to earth humour had me chuckling’ Liz Mistry, author of Unquiet Souls

‘Absolutely brilliant crime read. Gripping and wittily written. Two kick-ass female protagonists. This book is a brilliant high-wire of a novel – it has plenty of twists and turns, but it also has believable complex characters, and is also really very funny. Would recommend this to anyone’ SJ Bradley, author of Guest

About the author

Ali Harper writes feminist crime fiction. The Runaway is her second novel. An option for TV and film rights has also been signed with Yorkshire-based Duck Soup Films. Ali lives in Leeds, where she teaches creative writing, has just completed a PhD, and plays netball badly.