Inside the Dead Letters Depot in East London, William Woolf is one of thirty letter detectives who spend their days solving mysteries- Missing zip codes, illegible handwriting, rain-smudged ink, lost address labels, torn packages, forgotten street names-they are all the culprits of missed birthdays, broken hearts, unheard confessions, pointless accusations, unpaid bills and unanswered prayers. For eleven years, William has worked diligently at the depot, neglecting his dream of becoming a writer, while his wife Claire has poured all her energies burgeoning career as a barrister. Both realise that their marriage is in a perilous state, but neither are ready to confront this reality. When William starts to find letters written by a woman named Winter to her great love - whom she has never met - he becomes convinced that she is writing to him. He is torn between a desire to save his troubled home life and the excitement of a potential new love with Winter - if only he can find her. From the clues interspersed throughout her letters, William commits to solving what could be the most important mystery ever to come his way.

Author Biography

Helen Cullen, an Irish writer, wrote this debut novel while completing the Guardian/UEA novel writing program.