The Franchise Affair : Penguin Classics : 9780241639139 : 0241639131 : 13 Jul 2023 : 'The new crime and espionage series from Penguin Classics makes for a mouth-watering prospect' Daily Telegraph Abducted, beaten, hidden in an attic, a young woman stages an audacious escape. But is her story everything she claims it to be? Fifteen-year-old Betty Kane can recall every detail of the room where she says she was held at the country house known as The Franchise - even the crack in its round window. But her alleged kidnappers, a quiet-living mother and daughter, claim they have never seen her before. Somebody has to be lying. But who? As the case sparks a media frenzy, it is up to unassuming village solicitor Robert Blair to find out.