Asking For It — David Belbin

A 13-year-old girl is raped, and Neil is assigned to the case. Shortly afterwards, a university student is attacked in a similar way, though this time the rapist wore a mask. Could the two crimes be connected? Or is it just coincidence? Neil must get to the bottom of the case before the attacker strikes again. One of the hardest hitting Beat novels also features the first appearances of series characters Inspector Paul Grace and Neil's new girlfriend Melanie Byatt. With a new afterword by the author about the writing of the novel.