Utterly Explosive (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781912861057)

This is the first book in the Utterly Crime Series. It is the summer of 2010. Imagine how surprised three regular carpentry apprentices are to find themselves embroiled in home grown terrorist activities in the tranquil Suffolk countryside. Up to the point where the story begins, their lives have revolved around real ale, quirky T-shirts and cranky classic cars. Unwittingly they are drawn into a web of subversive events which centre around the Wattisham Airbase.

The plot unfolds as seen through the eyes of: Chrissie, feisty and with something to prove; Nick a talented apprentice with a tough exterior and an overly sensitive side; and Matt... well sometimes the less said about Matt the better. All three had first met on a carpentry course at Stowmarket's Utterly Academy. D.I. Clive Merry makes his first appearance towards the end of the book.

In this lively first crime novel, Pauline Manders has woven themes of friendship; loyalty and eccentricity against a backdrop of rolling wheat fields, Norman church towers and fertile fruit farms. The action moves from Bury st Edmunds to Wattisham; Woolpit to Stowmarket and Needham Market.