This superb first novel from a new British crimewriter is a poignant thriller starring a damaged ex-boxer in London's ganglands

Massive, glowering, and ugly as death, former soldier and ex-boxer Joe has always invited violence. But now Hackney's most vicious gangs all want to kill him. Why? As he tries to unravel the knot of events that have made him a target, Joe is drawn back into his past, back to the memory of the only woman he ever loved. Brenda was a prostitute who dreamed of something better. Now she's dead, and her murder, unsolved, haunts Joe every night. Then a 12-year-old runaway enters his life. Kid is traumatized, mute, and sees Joe as her savior. Life has made Joe a machine. Can Kid, as Brenda once did, make him human again? This taut thriller about betrayal, vengeance, and redemption will grab you by the throat from the very first line.