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Vigilante
On sale
3rd March 2016
Price: £8.99
Have you ever wanted to step out of your life and be someone different?
From the author of JUBILEE – a Top 10 bestseller and Richard & Judy choice – the story of woman who decides to become a hero.
Jenny Pepper never expected to end up like this. Tired of her unglamorous part-time job, the relentless domestic grind, and bewildered by her teenage daughter, one night Jenny stumbles into a vigilante rescue. Suddenly her world is exciting again. No longer is she ordinary, trying to understand her place in life – now she’s a hero. In the costume, she can be anyone she wants. And so her secret life begins. But when the dangers become very real, Jenny’s need for adventure takes a different turn.
We all want to feel special, and we all have a moment in our lives when we realise that – just perhaps – we might be more extraordinary than we think…
Readers say:
‘Funny, sad and marvellously entertaining …it will leave many readers with some interesting questions about their own lives.’ Goodreads 5 star
‘A sensitive and raw depiction of a long marriage and motherhood and identity and self worth. Loved it.’ Goodreads
‘A surprisingly touching look at a female mid-life crisis in the face of frightening and tragic events… Jenny Pepper – the protagonist, the Vigilante herself – is perfection: so vulnerable and so righteously angry; so wonderfully, hilariously, movingly true.’ Goodreads 5 star
‘Shelley Harris has done ‘that’ thing. Written a book that deals with some dark issues, and looks quite deeply at relationships whilst still being funny and an easy read. Vigilante is one of those books that make you gasp and smile within one paragraph. Light-hearted at times, yet deadly serious at others. A finely balanced story that delivers a satisfying punch.’ Goodreads
From the author of JUBILEE – a Top 10 bestseller and Richard & Judy choice – the story of woman who decides to become a hero.
Jenny Pepper never expected to end up like this. Tired of her unglamorous part-time job, the relentless domestic grind, and bewildered by her teenage daughter, one night Jenny stumbles into a vigilante rescue. Suddenly her world is exciting again. No longer is she ordinary, trying to understand her place in life – now she’s a hero. In the costume, she can be anyone she wants. And so her secret life begins. But when the dangers become very real, Jenny’s need for adventure takes a different turn.
We all want to feel special, and we all have a moment in our lives when we realise that – just perhaps – we might be more extraordinary than we think…
Readers say:
‘Funny, sad and marvellously entertaining …it will leave many readers with some interesting questions about their own lives.’ Goodreads 5 star
‘A sensitive and raw depiction of a long marriage and motherhood and identity and self worth. Loved it.’ Goodreads
‘A surprisingly touching look at a female mid-life crisis in the face of frightening and tragic events… Jenny Pepper – the protagonist, the Vigilante herself – is perfection: so vulnerable and so righteously angry; so wonderfully, hilariously, movingly true.’ Goodreads 5 star
‘Shelley Harris has done ‘that’ thing. Written a book that deals with some dark issues, and looks quite deeply at relationships whilst still being funny and an easy read. Vigilante is one of those books that make you gasp and smile within one paragraph. Light-hearted at times, yet deadly serious at others. A finely balanced story that delivers a satisfying punch.’ Goodreads
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Reviews
Vigilante is a novel in which character, voice, plot and themes come together to create a cracking read. It's a brilliant book. Highly recommended.
A generous, thoughtful, and often profound book about a woman who takes life into her own hands. I absolutely wept my heart out at the ending, and I am still thinking about Jenny Pepper.
This is funny entertainment wrapped around a tense thriller
This is a novel that, without worthiness, touches on everything from the sexualisation of schoolgirls to the misogyny of comics. Harris's debut, Jubilee, was a bestseller, and her entertaining follow-up deserves to match its success
A quirky, entertaining read - I loved it
This story is for any woman who has ever wondered if there's more to life than ironing
Kick-Ass for small-town mothers . . . fuses the wryly familiar with flashes of poetry, and the plot's thriller elements convey a real sense of jeopardy . . . worked through with charm and verve
Meet Jenny - a bored housewife who runs a charity bookshop when not having to cope with her moody teenage daughter. Fretting over all the things she could have done with her life, she finds herself caught up in events that finally give her a chance to shine as a real-life superhero (sort of)
Harris is a brilliant writer and Vigilante is a clever, fun, original story which millions of women will be able to relate to
Her writing about the more ubiquitous trials of middle age and parenthood fuses the wryly familiar with flashes of poetry, and the plot's thriller elements convey a real sense of jeopardy.
Harris' writing is witty and beautifully poignant, Vigilante is shocking, empowering and hilarious funny throughout.
Book of the Month: Bored with her life, she gives herself a kick-ass makeover and, dressed in cape and mask, pursues a secret life as a small-town vigilante - until a girl is brutally attacked and her fantasy world becomes reality
Light-hearted at times, dark at others, there has been a great buzz about this - thanks, quite possibly, to this article in The Independent, where Shelley herself dresses up as a superhero.
Jenny's bravery us nothing if not inspiring. Aside from the backdrop of superheroism, the themes of boredom, relationship woes and a sense of dissatisfaction with everyday life are common to all of us