M  I  C  H  A  E  L    M  I  C  H  A  E  L

Oxford. May Morning. Pouring rain.
Eighteen-year-old student Tessa Reeves
has a close shave with death as Dr Michael
Edwards comes hurtling round the corner
in his racy scarlet MG. By way of apology,
he treats her to a lavish breakfast in a
country hotel, and over strawberries, steak
and champagne, she first experiences his
greed - a greed which later culminates in
electrifying sex.

Tessa, from the wrong side of the tracks,
brought up with no frills (and no father)
by the irrepressible but decidedly uncultured
April, feels overawed by the pressured
mystique of Oxford. But the charismatic
Michael boosts her spirits and her status,
and fires her own ambition. He has been named
after an archangel - the Prince of Light.

But it is darkness that descends as the
affair turns sour, and Tessa searches in
increasing desperation for her lost lover,
and later for his surrogate and namesake,
the suburban GP, Dr Michael Edwards, with
whom she develops a bizarre non-relationship.
Spellbound, her love becomes an obsession
and her quest for Michael Michael takes over
her whole life.

Sex, madness, retribution - Perriam is back
on characteristic form with guns firing.
Daily Mail

Wendy Perriam is moreish in a satisfying sort of way.
Her young female characters, unashamed eroticism and
fast-moving plots captivate and hold. The prose is
stylish . . . she is a reader's writer: smooth,
interesting and pacy.
The Times

An arresting novel - poignant and deeply affecting.
Catholic Herald

A well-written and enthralling tale.
Books

"Before writing Michael, Michael, I went back to Oxford to get a taste of student life in the '90s, and was astonished at the changes since my own day. I spent a week in college at Balliol, attending lectures, tutorials and parties with the undergraduates - who could drink me under the table!

Less enjoyable research was a visit to an abortion clinic (the novel examines the pro-life and pro-choice options). Having battled through the pickets, I was distressed to see a girl of barely 15 sitting clutching her teddy bear as she waited in grim silence for her summons."