Book excerpt: Kellie Earl is a child of the fifties in Melbourne, Australia. She is a successful author but not content with her lot. Jana, her mother, is Russian-born, and Kellie longs to hear of the life she left behind. She wants to know the identity of her father, but the pain is too much for Jana to disclose, as is the truth about Kellie’s half-brother. Her mother’s wealthy husband, George Spiatis, taunts Kellie. It is perhaps this abusive influence that changes Kellie into Miss Zed, a cold-hearted murderess. In the case of George, the villain becomes the victim, and Kellie feels as if she was practically set up to kill this monster of a man. Lies now become half-truths as imagination protects Kellie from life’s harsh reality. You might want to believe her innocent. You might label her “too cute” to be anything short of charming. Perhaps you will even label her the victim as Kellie travels within the dark walls of Fairlea Women’s Prison, where she finds light at the end of her dismal tunnel.