Local first-time author Hilary Lloyd spoke at Ottery St Mary library about her book "A Necessary Killing", called by The Times "A gripping portrait of a modern tragedy". A work of fiction, the story is set against an all too real backdrop of the foot and mouth crisis. An interested and sympathetic audience heard Hilary tell of her own experiences as a small-scale sheep farmer in Shropshire which led her to write the book. Readers were able to talk to her informally, have their copies of the book signed, and enjoy a cream tea served by library staff.

Synopsis

Julie Sumner is no quitter. When her husband is killed, she runs their plague-threatened farm alone. All around battle the same danger and wonder at her refusal to grieve, but Julie's obsessive allegiance to the land and her animals is the only thing that keeps her going. Even when everyone else surrenders, she fights on in a barricade of barbed wire. And when it is men, not bugs, that smash her defences, Julie still isn't beaten. She uncovers the identity of the man who wiped her out, and she knows where to find him. Now her goal is murder, the perfect murder, a necessary killing. "A gripping portrait of a modern tragedy" Kate Long, The Times: '2006 new star of fiction'

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