No one thinks a seventeen-year-old girl can take on the hard men of London's gangland, but it's a mistake to underestimate Maura Ryan: she's tough, clever and beautiful — and she's determined that nothing will stand in her way. Which makes her one very dangerous lady.

Together, she and her brother Michael are unbeatable: the Queen and King of organised crime, they run the pubs and clubs, the prostitutes and pimps of the West End. With Maura masterminding it, they pull off an audacious gold bullion robbery and have much of the Establishment in their pockets.

But notoriety has its price. The police are determined to put Maura away once and for all — and not everyone in the family thinks that's such a bad idea. When it comes to the crunch, Maura has to face the pain of lost love in her past — and the dangerous lady discovers her heart is not made entirely of stone.

"The Loved One" is a delightful and dark satire that swirls together the cultural nuances of America and Britain. The story follows Dennis Barlow, a British expatriate and aspiring poet, who finds himself in the peculiar world of Hollywood.

After a failed stint as a screenwriter, Dennis takes up a job at a pet cemetery, much to the surprise of his fellow British expats. However, the community is soon distracted by the suicide of one of their own, and Dennis is tasked with arranging the funeral.

As the plot unfolds, Dennis enters the artificial paradise of the Whispering Glades Memorial Park, where he meets the beautiful Aimée Thanatogenos, a junior cosmetician, and the master embalmer, Mr. Joyboy. Can Dennis navigate the bizarre world of American-style death rituals and maintain his reputation among his countrymen?

This novel is a savage critique of the Anglo-American cultural divide, depicting a world where love, reputation, and death come at a very high cost. Join Dennis on this hilarious journey through the surreal landscape of Hollywood's funeral industry.