Published by Random House, Cornerstone
Publication Date: 1st April 2022
Genre: Womens Crime
My sincere thanks the publisher for allowing me access to this title prior to publication via NetGalley.
My opinions are my own and unbiased.
Book Description:
WELCOME TO A WORLD WHERE WOMEN HOLD THE POWER.
They dominate workplaces, public spaces and government.
They are no longer afraid to cross a dark car park, catch the last train, or walk home alone.
With the Curfew law in place, all men are electronically tagged and must stay at home after 7pm.
It changed things for the better. Until now.
A woman is murdered late at night and evidence suggests she knew her attacker.
It couldn't have been a man because a Curfew tag is a solid alibi... Isn't it?
My Thoughts:
Set in a female dominated dystopian world approximately 20 years in the future from publication I felt this had vibes of a plot similar to those John Marrs would pen. Following the murder of a female MP the laws have been changed radically, meaning that all men are tagged and are subject to a curfew between 7pm and 7am which should mean that women feel much safer on the streets after dark. Children are taught in school about Curfew and the reasons behind it. But not everyone is happy about the changes.
Cass's father was put in jail for having breached his Curfew, but the facts behind the situation aren't clear cut and Cass is angry at a system which she believes is just the feminists' way of controlling men. But she doesn't know a life other than the one she's living, what things were like before. She focuses her anger on her mum Sarah (who works at a tagging centre applying and checking the tags) and the other women at the Mother House where they live, a safe haven where men are not allowed access.
When a woman's body is found near where they live, the detectives on the case automatically assume that a woman must have committed the crime as it happened during Curfew hours; all except one, Pamela, who is older than the others on the team and remembers life before Curfew and knows how devious people can be when they have something to hide. Would she manage to persuade the other women on the team to consider all the options before a miscarriage of justice could possibly occur and put an innocent woman behind bars?
I enjoyed pondering the many and varied arguments which this book provokes. Could this scenario ever be brought into place in our society? Is it a fair system or does it penalise the masses for the actions of the few? How open to abuse would the tagging system be? There are so many angles to look at with this book and it certainly got my grey cells firing for a long while after I put it down.
I would definitely recommend this book - it is perfect for book clubs and there are even some useful questions for consideration at the end to kick start conversations.
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