The Second Sex by Steve Attridge

Dr Paul Rook, cynical philosopher, loving father and private detective has just taken on an investigation which threatens to consume him. It is his most perverse and personal case yet. Mercedes, Rook’s childhood friend turned supermodel, is being hounded by the press and the law after deeply disturbing child pornography, featuring the much loved star, is leaked all over the internet.

The video goes viral and her reputation is shot. The model’s brother enlists Rook’s help to crack the case as Mercedes denies all involvement.

Cass, Rook’s brilliantly clever daughter, insists on helping him get to the heart of the matter—after all, this case is taking them to the Costa del Sol.

But as more sex tapes appear and the death toll mounts, Rook gets dragged further into a dark world of kinks, pimps, incest and the morally depraved.

The philosopher is led on by an enigmatic character with a penchant for warped religious symbolism, known only as Legion. Rook must play the Legion’s sickening games, descending through Dante’s seven layers of hell, in order to solve the mystery of the fake and indecent films.

Will his insightful understanding of the human mind and arsenal of philosophic quotations be enough to not only crack the case, but protect his own humanity from the depravity to which he will be exposed? ‘The Second Sex’ is the fourth detective novella featuring Paul Rook. It follows ‘Philosophical Investigations,’ ‘The Natural Law’ and ‘Beyond Good and Evil.’ Also out in paperback.

THE SECOND SEX is available from Amazon and Amazon UK.

 *****

By More Books Please
I am not generally one for ‘laughing-out-loud’ at books but Philosophical Investigations had some very funny moments. The interactions between the central character – philosophy professor, Rook – and his colleague were particularly amusing. The humour is dark and self-deprecating but it makes for an original and engaging protagonist. I liked the idea of an ‘everyday’ professional becoming a private detective and I will definitely keep my eye out for more in the series.

Off beat beautifully written By Sam P
Great characters and story really intriguing throughout. Full of little surprises and cliff hangers. I loved Rook’s view of the world.

Brilliant By Mr Fisher
It’s smart, thought-provoking, dark, and very, very funny. Recommended for anyone who loves detectives, philosophy, or a chuckle, and luckily I like all 3.

Loved it! By Alles Klar
The write-up in Amazon sounded intriguing, but the short book delivered much more than I expected. The protagonist is witty, intelligent and believable. Very entertaining and readable book, and a perfect length for the fast-paced story and snappy style of writing. Will definitely look out for more by Attridge.

 *****

Steve has written over a 100 TV Drama and Film scripts, 2 BAFTA nominations and won 2 RTS Awards and 2 Writers Guild Awards. He has also written 20 books. He loves writing pieces that have light and shade and move from comedy to the dark side. He has several theatre pieces he is hoping to get into the light in the coming year: the whole of the Old Testament in just over an hour; a film noir mad detective character and another piece on identity theft. He has taught and lectured all over the world and is available for workshops, readings, courses and lectures. He also has a one man show available for performance – DICK SPACEY, a film noir intergalactic and deranged detective.