Dunant started writing in her late twenties, first with a friend, with whom she produced two political thrillers and a five-part BBC1 drama series - Thin Air, starring Kate Hardie, Nicky Henson and Clive Merrison, broadcast in 1988 - before going solo.
dˈʌnənt stˈɑːɹɾᵻd ɹˈaɪɾɪŋ ɪn hɜː lˈeɪt twˈɛntiz, fˈɜːst wɪð ɐ fɹˈɛnd, wɪð hˈuːm ʃiː pɹədˈuːst tˈuː pəlˈɪɾɪkəl θɹˈɪlɚz ænd ɐ fˈaɪvpˈɑːɹt bˌiːbˌiːsˈiː wˈʌn dɹˈɑːmə sˈɪɹiz θˈɪn ˈɛɹ, stˈɑːɹɹɪŋ kˈeɪt hˈɑːɹdi, nˈɪki hˈɛnsən ænd klˈaɪv mˈɛɹɪsən, bɹˈɔːdkæst ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi ˈeɪt bᵻfˌoːɹ ɡˌoʊɪŋ sˈoʊloʊ.