To an outsider, the hedonistic lifestyle of university students can seem an enviable one. But right now Danny Thorn – enrolled at Billings College Cambridge – can see little to be jealous of. Danny’s got woman troubles – his ex, Julie, won’t leave him alone and the beguiling Stella doesn't seem to be interested in him. But as the term progresses, getting a date for the May Ball will be the least of his worries. A rapist, who’s been preying on female students for months, is still at large. And a potentially deadly case of the green-eyed monster is about to rear its ugly head.

As events take increasingly bizarre and shocking turns, Danny's mother, Rosa, arrives in Cambridge. There to film a TV series and see her son, instead she finds herself desperately trying to restore some sort of order. But she could never be prepared for just how terrifying things are about to get...

VENA CORK is originally from Lancashire, but has lived in London all her adult life. She attended Homerton College, Cambridge, where she was a member of Cambridge Footlights. She is married to the art critic Richard Cork and lives in north west London. She is the author of three novels, Green Eye, Thorn and The Art of Dying

 

THE ART OF DYING

At an exhibition of her late husband's paintings, Rosa Thorn is shocked by the wild antics of certain artists. Is the art world a place where the normal rules of behaviour don't apply?

When she realises she's being followed, her fear escalates. There is someone out there determined to invade her life. Then one of the artists is found dead. The police conclude it is suicide, but Rosa discovers inconsistencies in the evidence. And when she delves more deeply into this world where appearances are seductive but don't match reality, she will need every ounce of her wit and intelligence to come out of it alive...

THORN

A tragedy has changed Rosa Thorn's life for ever. Now she has to start again with a new job, a new school for her children and some empty space in her life. But strange things start to happen...

When a growing sense of unease turns into sudden violence, Rosa fears for her safety and even more so for the wellbeing of her children. For her daughter is the subject of someone's demented infatuation. But like a diseased town fox, the real threat stalks in the shadows, in the night-black recesses of the undergrowth, not just of the city, but of the human mind...

Praise for THORN:

'THORN is one of those rare and energetic books you can’t put down yet don’t want to end` The Times

‘This is a compelling, if dark-hued, psychological thriller and first novel that eerily captures some of London’s more sinister undercurrents and sense of menace’ Guardian

‘In her atmospheric suspense novel THORN, Vena Cork skilfully builds a sinister feeling of menace surrounding her attractive heroine.’ Sunday Telegraph