Author(s): James McNeish

July Highlights 2010

Professor Chesney - Ches for short - recalls a court case from fifteen years ago in which he was an expert witness. At its centre is Huey Dunstan, a young man accused of murdering a taxi driver in cold blood. Ches, called in to try to determine the motivation behind this uncharacteristic act of violence, is at first baffled by an ordinary, unassuming, polite young man who seems determined at all costs to incriminate himself. The crux of the case involves the twin enigmas of buried memory and provocation, both contentious elements that require risk-taking at the edge of New Zealand law. But Ches is no foreigner to dilemmas of this kind he is a trained psychologist, specialising in trauma, and he is blind. This is a compelling, beautifully written novel. It is both emotionally engaging and thought-provoking - an important insight into the workings of the law and of humanity.