The Honorary Male

Amanda has disappeared. For over a year there has been no news of the English teenager with a passion for dance. Has she followed her dream to join an international ballet company or is there another reason for her silence? Is it possible that a sighting in a far-off country could be her?

A missing person charity entrusts Jude Francis, a former nurse, to verify a young woman's identity and potentially bring her home to her family.

The year is 1994. Former Soviet states are undergoing extensive modernisation. Two British reconstruction workers in Central Asia help Jude's quest for the dancer. Will the outcome be what Amanda's family and friends hope? And what will be the consequences for the people involved if they succeed?

Julia Drum has worked in theatre, broadcasting and management training. More recently, she has coached and supervised other coaches, supporting people in the public sector, as well as in private organisations. She is married and has a son and daughter and three grandchildren. This is her first novel.