NICOLA MONAGHAN

In her second novel, Nicola Monaghan moves her focus from a Nottingham council estate to the City of London. It''s the late ''90s and party-girl Frankie Cavanagh has just started working as a trader, experiencing life on the trading floor in all its sweaty, adrenalin-fueled madness, for the first time. She is determined to fit in with the boys - she works hard, plays hard and gives as good as she gets. Frankie fancies her American boss, Tom, from the start - he''s sexy, charismatic and a lot of fun; exactly what she''s looking for in Mr Right Now. They embark on an adventure together, a risky (he''s married), exciting but dangerous affair based on doing anything for a thrill.As Frankie begins to lose her grip, she speeds head on towards the ultimate question: just how far is she prepared to go for a dare? In this macho world of sex, drugs and big-money deals, a girl could get pushed too far..."Starfishing" gives an insight into both the vibrant London club scene and the world of trading in the ''90s, crackling with energy and intensity. It''s also about an Essex girl who has come to the City to make her fortune (not find a man and spend his), but gets caught up in a game that she doesn''t know how to end. This is a powerful and thrilling novel which confirms an impressive talent.

Five-year-old Kerrie-Ann Hill has an unusual neighbour. Mrs Ivanovich collects butterflies and she shows Kerrie-Ann how to catch them, take care of them, and evenhow to kill them using a jar and some funny-smelling liquid. Kerrie-Ann loves looking at these beautiful, delicate creatures, and imagines them flying free... This is Kerrie-Anns story. She doesnt know who her father is, and her mother is a junkie. By the age of ten, shes selling drugs at school. By twelve, shes been beaten up by a customer, hidden stolen guns, done time in a girls home, and already has a taste for whizz. And then theres Mark her only true friend and the one person she can trust. Their friendship turns into a powerful love and together they are invincible. But in their world its easy to lose control. On the drug-riddled estate with an atmosphere as lethal as a killing jar, it seems that Kerrie-Ann doesnt stand a chance. Unless she can make use of what Mrs Ivanovich taught her all those years ago.