‘She’d checked her room three times and yes, the lock on her door was fastened .. She was safe. She finally felt herself drifting off to sleep. Until she heard a cough – a girl’s cough- coming from the attic.’

Rose’s dad started hiding out in his man-cave attic and doing pointless 'renovations' that did not even make that grim space more habitable. Then he quarreled with Rose and her mother and abruptly left home. That was three years ago. About then her mum started drinking. Rose herself has been shoplifting, taking useless things that she doesn’t even want. Even being punished by her mum by having to sleep up in the attic didn’t stop that urge. By the third offence Rose is in big trouble with the judge. She is forced to see a pyschiatrist as part of the sentence and the shrink, though sympathetic, seems to be suggesting that something is very wrong with her.

Rose is scared. Scared of her lapses of memory about the hours when, according to the friends she is rapidly losing, she has behaved completely out of character. And she is scared of the sounds coming from the attic.

What is the secret of the attic?

In this easily readable, well paced novel, author Dan Djurdevic spans a number of 'difficult issues' confronted by young people - and older ones! Compulsive behaviours such as gambling, getting tangled up in the justice system, being harshly judged by friends and badly treated by employers, feeling that no one is listening to you, no one believes in you. But these matters don't bog you down. Rather, in this story, they flow into each other, all necessary elements of the mystery that keeps you reading on. I am so tempted to add a spoiler somewhere here, even a little one. But with restraint I will simply say- you don't get your resoultion until the last page! Read on. ( )