The Gavel

White-collar crime has never had such devastating consequences... Ian Hopewell is in the dock. He is the face of corporate greed and he stands accused of contributing to the global financial crisis because of his fast and loose investment policies. But this isn't an ordinary court. This court is marsupial and likes bouncing across the Australian outback on two spring-like legs. And Farmer Bray is no ordinary judge. No, he's full of Old Testament rage at men like Hopewell. 'In my experience, ' he says, 'those who beg for mercy seldom deserve it.' But does Ian Hopewell deserve his cruel fate, which is sealed the moment Bray cracks the gavel down in righteous judgement? This chilling fable explores the case through Hopewell's eyes, examining some of the crucial decisions which lead him to the end of the road and the brutal vengeance which will be meted out to him by Bray and his sons. AJ Kirby is the author of the novels ''Perfect World', When Elephants Walk Through The Gorbals', 'Sharkways', 'Paint This Town Red', 'Bully', and 'The Magpie Trap'. He lives in Leeds, UK, with his partner Heidi, and son Leon.