THE INSIDER'S GUIDE TO BETRAYAL

A research student and a young librarian are making eyes a one another across the floor of a university library in a dull provincial English city. Neither is who they appear to be. Ally has spent the past three years suppressing her fiery nature, leading a blameless, spinsterish existence according to her orders. Likewise, Simon's PhD studies are a sham.

So begins their dance, a dance grounded in deceit and betrayal. As the respective causes to which they have committed themselves draw them closer to one another, both are forced to question who they really are, and how far they are willing to go for what they thought they believed in.

Set in the 1980s against the backdrop of the war between the British Government and the IRA, the themes surrounding The Insider's Guide to Betrayal have been placed into sharp focus by recent revelations concerning the police practice of using undercover informants to inveigle their way into the lives of political activists.

Donald Finnaeus Mayo was born in London and grew up in Australia and South East Asia, the backdrop for his novel, Francesca.
He was educated in England, where he graduated in Politics and Culture. At various times he has worked as a radio journalist for the BBC, a business writer for major corporations, and as a photographer. He currently lives in Hampshire with his wife and three children.