Valerie Bird

Incident on the Line Valerie Bird

Greta Salway, a successful writer, meets Gerald, an ex lover and the father of her child, at a crime writers' social gathering thirty years after their liaison. He was never told of Lottie's existence and vice versa, a secret which haunts Greta, especially after Lottie's death. That she meets Roger for the first time the day after this occasion seems to be the cruellest trick; is it coincidence, chance or fate? For it is these strange encounters that trigger a painful dilemma, a situation Greta finds impossible and struggles to resolve. In an effort to decide what to do, Greta tracks back through her life, remembering the relationship between herself, her parents and daughter, the horror of a tragic death, evaluating the men she has taken as lovers, in search of a solution. It is her agent, Leo, who offers the best advice; 'Happiness is hard to find if you doubt your ability to be worthy of it.'