Strange Sally Diamond

Sally Diamond has lived all her life with her father, apart from the world. When he dies, she follows the instruction he always gave her and leaves his body out with the rubbish. She sees nothing odd in it, and cannot see why everyone else does.

The act turns her into a public curiosity. Reporters want her story, the police are uneasy about her, and an ominous voice reaches her from a period of her life she cannot recall. Sally, a recluse until now, has to leave the house and deal with people for the first time.

She begins to uncover the horrors of her early years, makes friends and gains some independence. She also learns that words and intentions do not always match, a hard lesson for someone who takes speech literally. Then messages arrive from an unknown sender who knows much more about her early life than she does.

The novel is a psychological thriller built around an unusual central character, with a dark mystery that opens slowly as Sally pieces together who she is. Unease runs alongside moments of warmth as she finds her footing, and the sender's messages keep the pressure on.