ANNIE Jackson's life is turned upside down when her mother remarries. Her new stepfather, Leonard Spode, appears to outsiders to be a kind man, but behind closed doors he is an evil monster, hurting and humiliating his wife and stepdaughter at every turn.

Annie is determined to stand up to Spode but is branded a troublemaker and sent away to a children's home, where she soon discovers she is pregnant.

In desperation, she leaves the baby in the safe hands of a priest with a sealed letter to be given to her daughter the day after her 18th birthday. Annie, herself only 15, feels her life is not worth living.

When Cathy Makepeace decides to trace her birth mother, she has no idea what horrors she will uncover. Until, that is, she finds a letter detailing the heartbreak and cruelty brought about by one man - yes, you guessed it - Leonard Spode.

She then takes it on herself to seek revenge for her mother and all the other innocent victims: the end result of which must be the downfall or death of this evil man.

Set in post-war Yorkshire, Annie's Legacy is the powerful story of one girl's battle against all that life throws at her, and her determination to have the last word.

Once again this is an excellent book by Leeds author Ken McCoy.

Updated: 14:01 Wednesday, January 16, 2002