Time Being

(2026)

When Laura Cameron, a philosophy professor at a London

university, is found dead in a bizarre echo of the Reeva Steenkamp

case, the questions are myriad. Her friend and colleague, Esther

Luck, is as shocked as everyone else.

But Esther knows more than she’s letting on. After two years

batt ling illness, her notions of what makes life worth living, of

what her future holds, have changed utterly. Held in a tense web

of intrigue between Laura’s widower Jack, her ex Michel, and

her conventional family, Esther is given the chance of new life on

borrowed time as the mystery of Laura’s death deepens.

'A deftly plotted and superbly satisfying contemporary thriller.'

Monique Roffey, author of Passiontide

'A richly compelling and incisive account of a moral philosopher who dares not speak the truth.'

Michael Arditti, author of The Tribe

'Jude Cook has pulled off that rare thing - a literary novel that has the push and pull of genre fiction.'

Richard Skinner, author of The Velvet Gentleman

'The elegantly written novel reaches beyond its nightmare premise to wrestle with serious ideas.'

Toby Lloyd, author of Fervour

'In this gripping work of literary crime fiction, Jude Cook presents the unravelling of a woman's life with sensitive precision.'

Emily Midorikawa, author of A Tiny Speck of Black and Then Nothing

'A brilliant and engaging disquisition about moral choice ratcheted through a novel of suspense... A thoroughly entertaining read.'

Amanda Craig, author of High and Low

'Combines the propulsion of a thriller with a stark examination of the consequences of personal and societal instability.'

Alice Jolly, author of The Matchbox Girl

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