What Doesn't Kill Us

By: Ajay Close

Narrated by: Molly Hannan

'This book is a must read ... a uniquely raw and authentic voice.' Maxine Peake

A killer stalks the streets of Leeds. Every man is a suspect. Every woman is at risk. But in a house on Cleopatra Street, women are fighting back.

It’s the eve of the 1980s. PC Liz Seeley joins the squad investigating the murders. With a violent boyfriend at home and male chauvinist pigs at work, she is drawn to a feminist collective led by the militant and uncompromising Rowena. There she meets Charmaine – young, Black, artistic, and fighting discrimination on two fronts.

As the list of victims grows and police fail to catch the killer, women across the north are too terrified to go out after dark. To the feminists, the Butcher is a symptom of wider misogyny. Their anger finds an outlet in violence and Liz is torn between loyalty to them and her duty as a police officer. Which way will she jump?

Ajay Close combines the tension of a police procedural with the power and passion of the women’s lib movement. By turns emotional, action-packed and darkly funny, What Doesn’t Kill Us reveals just how much the world has changed since the 1970s – and how much it hasn’t.

©2024 Ajay Close (P)2024 Saraband

Critic reviews

“Vivid and visceral.” Val McDermid

“Taut, atmospheric and beautifully observed.” Brian Groom

"Immensely humane, a book of huge themes and minutely observed characters … with a warm intelligence, compassion and wit.” Ewan Morrison

“Beautifully written, stark and relevant.” Caro Ramsay