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    Head Count
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    Head Count
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    Head Count
    Ebook292 pages2 hours

    Head Count

    By Judith Cutler

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    A head teacher's work is never done, especially if, like Jane Cowan, you're a victim of your own success. Having done well with Wrayford Primary, she's now expected to bring other neighbouring schools up to scratch as well. And all
    these responsibilities are compounded by an influx of children, most of whom do not speak English, following their families supplying cheap labour to surrounding farms. Jane can't turn a blind eye to the conditions in which many of these families are living, even more so when some children simply disappear. When everything points to the shadowy dealings of people smugglers in the area, she has her work cut out for her seeing justice done. And that's before a threat far closer to home rears his head.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAllison & Busby
    Release dateOct 19, 2017
    ISBN9780749020958
    Author

    Judith Cutler

    A former secretary of the Crime Writers' Association, Judith Cutler has taught Creative Writing at universities and colleges for over thirty years and has run occasional courses elsewhere (from a maximum-security prison to an idyllic Greek island). She is the author of more than forty novels.

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    Reviews for Head Count

    4/5

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    • 5/5
      The only parts of Judith Cutler's second Jane Cowan mystery, Head Count, that might not set well with American readers are the scenes in which Jane is an umpire for cricket matches. Fortunately, they are few and serve more to spotlight Jane's people skills (which she has in abundance) than anything else. Good thing, too, because the only part of cricket I like is the bit where fans sit out in the sunshine in that green and pleasant land.Jane probably has more highly developed people skills than most because she was the victim of domestic violence for years. She's had more than her share of dealing with unreasonable humans. Although the man who abused her is now in prison, she still tries to fly beneath the radar (no Twitter or Facebook for her) because he has many loyal friends on the outside and retaliation is a definite possibility. Jane is an intelligent, capable woman who's a brilliant teacher and administrator, and when she's embroiled in something like human trafficking, she knows enough to let the police do their job.Some readers may not think there's much of a mystery to Head Count because it percolates beneath the surface while Jane lives her peripatetic life, going from school to school and cricket match to cricket match while trying to deal with her house. Most readers of crime fiction are used to the main character conducting their own investigation and putting themselves in danger. With Jane's life experience, she's learned to trust the police to do what they're trained to do, so anytime she learns something, she hands it over to them. This makes a great deal of sense, and although it may sound boring, it's not-- because Cutler has created a very real sense of danger from her ex-husband's friends. Readers never know which bad guy will be sneaking up on this caring head teacher.Readers familiar with Cutler's mysteries (and I wish there were a lot more of us here in the US) may come across a familiar name or two as they read. The author mentions one of my favorite characters, Fran Harman, and brings in Caffy Tyler and the formidable group of women known as PACT from Scar Tissue. Judith Cutler has created a wonderful group of intelligent, strong, "in charge" women characters throughout her career. Jane Cowan-- the woman who should be afraid of her own shadow but isn't-- is the latest and a prime example of why I think Cutler's books should be much better known in this country.