Blood and water - Lucy McCarraher

With the help of yoga, meditation and her close group of girlfriends, Mo feels she's at last getting the balance of her life right. Until, that is, Jack's highly strung twin sister asks her to help trace their birth mother, Caitlin, whom Jack wants nothing to do with. Her involvement in the search triggers turmoil in Mo's life, exacerbated by the onset of menopausal symptoms, Jack's involvement with someone else, and an old vagrant woman who unleashes unwelcome, supernatural encounters.

The hunt for Caitlin is a compelling journey of clues and dead ends, coincidence and revelation, that exposes much of the grief involved in teenage sex and adoption. It is set within a wry and authentic portrayal of the complex lifestyle which so many contemporary women lead, and against an evocative depiction of London's historic Crystal Palace district. Each of the acutely drawn characters has personal issues, all of which raise questions about spirituality and sexuality, motherhood, relationships and family bonds.

Forced to use all her professional skills, personal contacts and psychic gifts to locate Jack's biological mother, Mo gains a deeper understanding of herself in the process, and unearths unexpected information about her family and the intimate lives of her best friends.