The book is an edgy romantic thriller that tells the story of Joan, a character inspired by a few of the amazing matriarchal figures I have known. Joan's life is a succession of disasters involving bereavement, illness and abuse. The little comfort she eventually finds is whilst reading the Rush Hour Crush segment in the daily newspaper, a concept thought up by an old school friend. Despite being desperately unlucky in love and life, Joan never gives up until her shocking relationship leads her to act in deadly self-defence. Whilst being questioned by the police, the reader is transported back through Joan's life, and that helps us to understand how a lovely lady has come to be in a cell facing a murder charge.