The Trophy Taker

8 months ago 10th Apr 09:06

Hong Kong: she’s wild and she’s strong, pushy and just a little dirty, and Detective Inspector Johnny Mann has always loved her.

If nothing else, Hong Kong is his home. Intelligent but emotionally reserved, Johnny strives for perfection in his personal and professional lives and is on a certain path to the top.

But when remains of bodies start turning up in plastic bags, he knows he’s onto something big. It doesn’t take long for The Butcher to become the talk of the town.

The victims are all young women, and they’re all European; they’ve all been dismembered and ‘trophies’ have been taken from them, internal organs from the body.

To solve these vile crimes, Johnny delves into the seedier side of life, and goes on a determined hunt for a demented killer. And then the case becomes personal.

Madeleine Johnson has left behind her recent tragic past in Devon and heads over to Hong Kong where she knows the last living members of her family are, her cousins Lucy and Ka Lae. A close bond quickly develops with her cousins, but soon she’s drawn into Lucy’s sinister world and her life is in danger.

Clues lead Johnny and his team back to the nefarious actions of the local branch of the Triads and one of their senior members in particular, Johnny’s nemesis Chan.

And through it all, observing everything from the sidelines, are taxi-driver Max and his simpleton brother Man Po, who has acquired a distinct taste for death.

Lee Weeks was born in Devon to Welsh parents. The youngest of three daughters, she spent her formative years travelling constantly from town to town while her policeman father sought a promotion. Being a ‘latch key kid’, Lee was vulnerable to becoming a victim of abuse.

Lee found solace from an early age in the solitary world of poems, writing and reading. By 14 solace was found in skiving school, taking drugs and hanging out with bikers.

After a brief time at art college, Lee left home. She travelled for the next eight years, living in various countries throughout Europe, doing any work she could: cocktail waitress, chambermaid, DJ. She then came home.

She went back to college for two years, catching up on the GCSEs and A Levels she’d missed out on. Then, still restless, she bought herself a one-way ticket to Hong Kong.

Seeking amphetamines in Hong Kong, Lee was given the wrong drug and unwittingly became a heroin addict. While working as a nightclub hostess, her addiction grew and soon she became embroiled in the problems of her suppliers, the Triads. Eventually she became a part of a Triad debt.

It was then she reached a pivotal point in her life and finally put her past behind her. She went into hiding and put herself through the government methadone programme.

She was finally allowed to leave Hong Kong courtesy of a favour owed by the Triads to a man who cared enough for her to let her go.

She moved to London and trained an English teacher to foreign students and then as a personal fitness trainer.

After fifteen years, and two children later, Lee and her husband left London and moved back to Devon, where she began writing.

Lee’s marriage ended last year. She now lives in Exeter with her son and daughter (when she’s visiting from London) and her two dogs.

Lee has finally found peace, focus and resolution and has never been happier or more excited about her life. She has also rediscovered a liking for men in leather…