The Dream Catcher — Maria Barrett

Sarah, Roz and Janie are firm friends from the school run at Wynchcombe Primary. But they also have something else in common: each has a dream. For Sarah, it is finding a way through the constant struggle of bringing up her partially deaf son Rory alone. For Roz, it is overcoming the difficulty of keeping her farm afloat and for Janie, a GP's wife, it is how to escape an ever-growing emptiness in her life that cannot explain or fill. Then Janie's brother Marcus, a top city analyst, has an idea. He suggests that Janie and her friends set up an investment group - pooling their money and playing the stock market together - and introduces them to his stockbroker friend, Alex. Before long, with a mixture of luck, instinct and research, the women begin to make some serious money. The sort of money that makes dreams come true. But good dreams can easily turn bad. When the chance to invest in an almost certain take over target comes up, the investment club, hesitant at first, decide to go for it. Only things are not what they seemed, insider trading is a criminal offence, and someone has a hidden agenda. When the gains are high, so are the risks ...