Lyn Madden worked for twenty years as a prostitute, mostly in Dublin. Her career ended the night that she watched, her lover and pimp, John Cullen throw a firebomb through the window of a house, where former prostitute Dolores Lynch lived. Dolores, who had ‘escaped’ from prostitution some years previously, perished along with her elderly mother and aunt. That murder shocked Lyn out of her dependence on Cullen and enabled her to summon up the courage necessary to denounce him to the police. Cullen was given a life sentence and an 18-year sentence, the second of which he has completed. He has applied for temporary release, but authorities refused it. Here, in Lyn’s own voice, she starts her story being escorted by two plain-clothes police officers up the gangplank to the ferry, fleeing Ireland in the hope of a safer future. Lyn’s journey to safety is one that never is truly realized as her enemies, ex-lovers, abusers and demons continue to haunt her and threaten the livelihood of her and her children. But through it all, Lyn undergoes an impressive evolution from working the streets to becoming a contributing member of society and even holding down a meaningful job. Lyn pursues therapy, education and learns after many wrong starts to finally choose healthier relationships. It is a wonderful coming-of-age story of a woman who gets a chance later in life to try to put herself on a better course away from the world of crime and exploitation. Though her path is riddled with bad choices and abusive men whose violence is terrifying her basic spirit is never dimmed. We get to know a Lyn that takes enormous pleasure in the simple things of life while surviving seemingly unbearable abuse and tragedy. Readers who have read the first book will not be disappointed with the sequel, it’s full of excitement and insight into the lives of the walking wounded.
