The Devil's Clown

The girl puts an eye to the keyhole and watches the man she thinks is an alien making love to her mother. Who is to blame for allowing him inside? Gloria! Gloria must be punished! Punishment is a familiar thing! Sally smashes her head, pulls out her eyes and buries her doll in the bin.
The story relates the aftermath of domestic abuse; the emotional neglect of cruel and dispassionate parents, and a young girl, convinced that happiness can be restored by making people laugh. Sally hides behind her image of Miss Flummi the clown and becomes a brilliant performer in the vibrant and colourful world of the circus. But don't kid yourselves! Her mind is troubled; her behaviour is bizarre and her habits are strange. The devil demands revenge when atrocities refuse to be buried.
Detective Inspector Nicholas Lightbone, called Nickbone, investigates a number of fatal accidents connected with Sally. But were they all accidents?

Susan Duxbury was born in Shipley, West Yorkshire,
England, and educated at Salt's Grammar School in the famous
model village of Saltaire; then Leeds College of Technology
where she gained a diploma in hotel management. After
emigrating to New Zealand, she travelled to Australia and met
her German-born husband. They lived and worked in the
Australian outback, where she began writing her first book.
She is also a successful short-story writer and actively
engaged in German/British relations; has two sons and lives with
her husband in north Germany.