At first glance Seward Island is an idyllic rural community. The perfect place to raise a family. So when the ravaged body of young Tara Breckinridge is found the reaction is shock and a refusal to believe that the murderer could be one of Seward's own citizens. The islanders clamour for a speedy arrest and any likely candidate will do. Eyes turn to a recent arrival, Jerry Frankel, who is from the East, Jewish, liberal and outspoken - a combination which makes the community leaders uneasy. Then, as certain unsettling facts emerge about his past, prejudices that have been simmering beneath Seward's placid surface begin to emerge, guaranteeing that hate and ignorance, not the pursuit of justice, will dictate the outcome of the case. Inspired by a true story about the malignancy of prejudice, AN ISOLATED INCIDENT, is a novel of rare dramatic intensity, social resonance and breathtaking drama.