Hills Beyond Pentland

Edinburgh 2044. Scotland is an independent and prosperous nation within the European Union, but England has regressed to a 17th century society of aristocrats and peasants. Banned from international commerce by UN and EU sanctions because of its refusal to comply with international treaties on climate change, England survives by smuggling outlawed animal foodstuffs. Three years after the events in 'The Escape Room', Justine Claverhouse is working as a lieutenant in Europol, combating the criminal gangs smuggling cheese across the English border. However, the Labrador and cat genes her aunt added to her DNA have brought with them a problematic new set of emotions and behaviours not well suited to the world of work. A chance arrest on the train from Glasgow leads Justine into an investigation of a new smuggling route from England. The trail brings her to Larkhall where the local community council has held a wildcat referendum and intends to secede from Scotland and become an English colony. Science fiction meets political satire in a futuristic crime thriller set in Edinburgh, Larkhall and London. The book builds on plot threads and characters from 'The Escape Room' but can be read out of order.