A monster.
Tess was just eleven years old when her mother sold her to a rich
elderly man.
Grace ran a brothel in Croydon and she plunged her young daughter
into a terrifying world of sex and depravity. Grace was ruthless in
her pursuit of money and had a toxic mix of cunning and high ambition.
Dangerous criminals visited the brothel every day, and Tess was
exposed to things no little girl should see. A timid child who longed
for her mother's love, she grew up in a world of unimaginable horrors
with no one to turn to.
Her mother ensured that Tess followed her footsteps and began selling
herself. She later opened a brothel too, but became known for looking
after her girls and running it as cleanly and as fairly as she could.
Along the way she encountered some fascinating characters, including
Christine Keeler, the Kray twins and Myra Hindley, as well as numerous
well-known actors and politicians.
Amazingly, after such a horrendous start in life, Tess has left
prostitution and completely turned her life around.
SOLD offers readers a shocking insight into a criminal underworld and
is a compelling account of one woman's recovery from the ultimate betrayal.
Tess Stevens was born and brought up in South London in her mother's
brothel. Her early life was a grim cycle of emotional abuse and exposure
to an adult sexual world. She worked in the sex industry all her life
until five years ago when she finally broke away and she now lives with
her partner in Sussex.
