The Tip of the Iceberg - Mary Alice Davies

The book contains six stories and a novella. The short stories vary from the falling in love by a miner thwarted by a terrible accident, to the criminal behaviour of a long distance lorry driver and how he seeks redemption.The novella, The Tip of the Iceberg, is about corruption and how it insinuates itself into the lives of families, friends and lovers. Set in contemporary London we follow a group of people brought together at a mediation to resolve a financial dispute. Ella, a well meaning and naive mediator, is sexually attracted to Jim who sees himself as the wronged party in the dispute. During the mediation, the defendant, Alexander, reveals a past link with Jim which leads to a shocking outcome. Ignoring the warning from her senior colleague Chas, Ella becomes increasingly drawn into the life of Jim and his family, their political and financial activities. When his father, an MP, disappears, missing a crucial planning meeting, Ella and Chas support Jim in his efforts to find him. Despite her gradual realization that Jim’s business activities are suspect, Ella becomes more involved and finds her own values challenged. His fiancée, Julia, is deeply hurt by his defection to Ella and works towards her revenge as she seeks to destroy her career as a mediator. The event which affected Jim and Alexander years ago continues to influence their lives as each of them struggle with new and painful relationships. An opportunity arises for Ella to help Jim, if she can face the challenge. Â