Wren Kipling is a teenage tearaway with a grudge against a spoilt, rich kid at her school. Preparing a relatively harmless prank with her wealthy rival as a target, Wren is caught up in a dangerous situation and is soon taken under the wing of her godmother. Though the titular placement at her godmother’s workplace starts boringly enough, it’s not long before she’s drawn into even more danger, with her family’s past coming back to haunt her.

Ruth Osgood’s debut novel is quite the page turner; after the explosive opening scenes, what follows is a compelling drama that sees Wren getting to know a varied cast of characters at her godmother’s company. The kindly Dale, the belligerent Samar and the hopeless Nile are all very well written and join her father, a playful partner in crime for our protagonist, in being characters you’ll love or love to hate.

Yet Osgood’s masterstroke is in upending everything you think you know about the cast by the final act, and in piling twist upon twist, which continue all the way to the final page.

Though Wren is initially not the most likeable of characters, by the climax you’ll be fully on her side. There’s real heart and emotion on display here, with some short, sharp shocks of violence and some great pop culture references sprinkled throughout.

It’s an impressive debut for Ruth Osgood, and I’m fully invested in Wren as a character; I can’t wait to see where she goes next.

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