Kate Atkinson 'I loved it. A great, original character and the plot fairly whizzes along.' Mark Billingham 'Campbell has created a great new female protagonist in Sergeant Anna Cameron, who finds herself up against it when local prostitutes are attacked in Glasgow and racial tension is mounting to frightening levels. This is as gritty as all hell, shot through with enough pace and atmosphere to give Denise Mina a run for her money. All this and the chutzpah to create a seedy and unpleasant superintendent called Rankin!' The Glasgow Herald (Feb 2008) "The Twilight Time, powered by stiletto-sharp prose, is a pertinent expose of the contamination seeping into lives from prostitution and a drugs economy ruled by money-laundering thugs. But against this background, her story also vividly illustrates the physical and emotional damage caused to police officers by the vile reality of their work." (Anne Simpson) The Daily Record (April 2008) "Anna Cameron might be short on field experience but as she takes up her new post as boss of Stewart Street's newly formed 'Flexi Unit' she's high on motivation and intelligence. It's just as well. She's soon plunged into a mire of murder, drugs, racist violence, hostility within her undisciplined team and assaults on prostitutes in Glasgow's vice area. Raw, real and so evocative you can almost hear the screams. Bang those drums and get the word out - there's a new writer on the Scottish crime scene and if this debut is a true reflection of her talent then she's going to be huge." Aberdeen Press and Journal (April 2008) IT IS so refreshing to read a crime novel which is believable. Author Karen Campbell is a former Strathclyde Police officer and it shows in her depiction of how the boys and girls in blue work. The book follows the main character, Anna Cameron, as she is plunged into the seedy world of prostitutes, drug dealers and sad men. Along the way, there is love interest for her in the shape of an old flame from her days as a new recruit and how his new life with his wife - also a former officer - is intermingled with Anna's. The sympathies of the reader lie with the wife, Cath Forbes, which makes Anna seem a bit one-dimensional and a bit too hard-bitten at times but Anna is an original character compared with many churn 'em out crime novels and the plot whizzes along at a cracking pace. The humour is dark, with enough atmosphere taken from Campbell's days as a police officer to make the dialogue feel very real. She does not hold back in how desperate the lives of these prostitutes are, and does not dress their situation with "poor little me" words - she just tells it as it is. Campbell worked in many parts of Strathclyde Police before deciding to become a writer, and the politics, back-stabbing and frustrations of the everyday life of a police officer are a refreshing change from many crime novels which glamorise what is often a dangerous profession. The Book Bag "A stunning debut which is so much more than a crime novel. Excellent characters, a location which has a voice all of its own and a gripping plot - Karen Campbell really could be the new Rankin. Highly recommended. " (www.thebookbag.co.uk - 4.5 out of 5) Tangled Web "A powerful first-time novel from Campbell, who brings a scorching honesty to the emotional inner-life of her character. This will surely be the start of a successful series." (www.tangled-web.co.uk) Shots Magazine "The Twilight Time is a fast-paced thriller that not only looks at the perils of being a female boss in the police, but also the dangerous underworld that afflicts Scotland's biggest city... This is a well-scripted debut novel with excellent characterisation and descriptions of the good and the bad sides of Glasgow... With enough twists and turns to satisfy everyone, there is also a thread of black humour that weaves its way through the storyline that will, at times, leave you with a wry smile on your face... a debut novel that is certainly worth spending time with." (www.shotsmag.co.uk)