Oxford: the city of dreaming spires and lofty knowledge. Or so they say. But for private investigator Sam Falconer, it seems to be a place of sin and secrets. And now she's come back home to set up a branch of her detective agency, she's about to turn up even more trouble, which all seems to lead back to a strange museum and its grisly collection of shrunken heads and demonic masks. In JUMPING THE CRACKS, Victoria Blake takes us deeper yet into Sam's psyche. As Sam tries to unravel the mysteries of her latest case, Sam realises she must face her own demons as well as those at the museum. A taut mix of classic crime, modern noir and psychological drama, this is contemporary British crime on sharp form.

'Forgery and murder drive a fast-paced plot' FINANCIAL TIMES

Victoria Blake was born in Oxford and brought up in Queen's College. She read history at Lady Margaret Hall and then qualified as a solicitor in London, before working in publishing and bookselling. She lives in West London with her partner and the ubiquitous cat, percipiently named Dashiell Hammett.