Previous Convictions

by Simon Temprell

Tasteless, ghastly, wickedly inventive and very funny, here is social satire at its best. Imagine two sisters, Jackie and Cherry. Jackie is demented, though no one has noticed, and she has just poisoned their mother. Cherry used to be a TV dancer, then married a home-shopping channel presenter called Chip to give him British residence. But Chip is gay, and has fallen love with Aiden, and they're about to set up house together...except Aiden must move out when Chip's identical-twin brother comes visiting from the States with his wife and kids. Jackie has long been obsessed with Chip, imagining herself in love with him. But she is also fiercely anti-gay, so when she discovers he has gone off with another man, she feels unjustifiably betrayed. Trouble is, it's not Chip that gets shot, nor is that the final killing...

356 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001