A stand-alone novel from the author of the acclaimed Thorne series.

 

A driver is forced off the road and into a bus stop. A policeman is dead. His partner, a policewoman, wants to know why, and what he was up to?

 

A rainy evening in London and shots are fired at a car, causing it to hit a bus stop. What looks like a gang initiation has cost a man his life. A policeman - off-duty cop Paul Hopwood losing his life.

 

This incident has wide-ranging consequences for a large cast including the shooter, the ageing gangster planning a deadly revenge, and the victim’s pregnant wife just two weeks away from giving birth. She’s a policewoman called Helen. And she wants to know why her husband was killed, and what he was up to before he died.

 

The strong motivation of grief drives her to investigate her partner's sudden death. An investigation that requires some soul searching of her own as secrets are discovered. This is all set against the fact that Helen's baby is due (a ticking clock that adds tension) and a violent gang land. Violence of both the planned and random variety.

 

Billingham shows the characters in a way that doesn’t judge them. The teenagers are easily caught up with criminals as the impact of the gangs swallows them up. This reads as an honest and authentic portrayal of London gang life in a world where the truth is hard to find.

 

This is the author’s first stand-alone novel and it’s a quality depiction of relationships and interactions with no shortage of action and a clever twist towards the end.