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For the record, it is necessary to summarise some of the issues that Donovan has faced. These include:

The recent unfortunate death of her partner. Mr Robinson suffered from secondary multiple sclerosis but the suddenness of his death was unexpected. Donovan's initial response suggests that her professional judgement was perhaps affected by the event. This is unsurprising and, in the view of the Occupational Psychologist, is likely to be a product of her grieving rather than a longer-term issue.
The impending criminal proceedings against her former manager, Keith Welsby, prior to his recent death. We understand that Welsby served as an informal mentor to Donovan when she first joined the Agency, so she is likely to have been affected by the allegations of corruption against him. It is not clear whether her reactions would have been alleviated or worsened by Welsby's subsequent illness and recent death.
The impending criminal proceedings against her most recent boss, Hugh Salter. Although we understand that Donovan's relationship with Salter was very different from her dealings with Welsby â and, in fact, Donovan was the first to raise concerns about Salter's integrity â the accusations of corruption and his possible involvement in Welsby's death will undoubtedly have added to the stresses she is facing. It must be recognised therefore that her professional environment has become extremely destabilised over the past two years.

More significantly of all, however, Donovan has faced direct threats to her own life, apparently linked to the alleged corruption of both Welsby and Salter. She appears to have coped very resourcefully with these at the time, but there is no question that they will have left severe psychological scars. The view of the Occupational Psychologist is that these, combined with her recent bereavement and the disruption to her working life, may combine to create a significant emotional vulnerability. In the worst case, this might leave her open to emotional or psychological manipulation.

We understand that Donovan is planning to take some extended leave to resolve various domestic issues, but has expressed a wish to return to work in the near future. Our recommendation is that, for the present, Donovan is not returned to the field but is given an assignment in Intelligence or a similar field. This will provide us with an opportunity to assess her state of mind and suitability for a return to operational work in due course.

Acknowledgments

As always, I must thank the various anonymous sources who fed me with the information and titbits that I've carefully fictionalised. You know who you are. And of course thanks to Sammia Rafique, my terrific editor at Avon, and to my agent, Peter Buckman, who between them manage to keep me roughly on the straight and narrow.

About the Author

Alex Walters was educated in Nottingham and at Cambridge University. After leaving university, he worked in management roles in the oil industry, broadcasting and banking, before moving into management consultancy. Having worked for various global practices, he now runs his own specialist consultancy company, working in the UK and abroad. His consultancy work in recent years has specialised in various aspects of the criminal justice sector, including police, prisons and probation, as well as various public bodies including the UK parliament. He lives in Manchester with his three sons.

By the same author:

Trust No One

Copyright

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.

AVON

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First published in Great Britain by

HarperCollins
Publishers
2012

Michael Walters asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Source ISBN: 9781847562876

Ebook Edition Â© November 2012 ISBN: 9780007452484

Version 1

FIRST EDITION

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