‘I can safely say it will be huge … an excellent read’ PATRICIA GIBNEY, author of the DI Lottie Parker series‘Intricate, expertly paced with a shocking conclusion … Jimmy is a character you root for from page one’ M. W. CRAVEN, author of THE PUPPET SHOWWhen homeless veteran Jimmy thinks he witnesses a murder in Newcastle, the police refuse to believe him. He’s not quite sure he believes his … him. He’s not quite sure he believes his own eyes. Then he sees missing persons posters matching the description of the man he saw killed, and he realises he wasn’t mistaken. But how do you catch a killer when nobody believes a murder has been committed?
Together Jimmy and the dead man’s daughter decide to take matters into their own hands and hunt down the murderer themselves. They soon realise it will be a far more dangerous task than they could ever imagine.
But Jimmy has one big advantage: when you’ve got nothing, you’ve got nothing to lose.
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What a superb story, so original and gritty. Nice one @trevorwood . I rarely give out 5 stars but The man on the Street deserves them all.
Written from the point of view of a homeless ex-naval man in Newcastle, this is a thoroughly enjoyable thriller-whodunit with interesting and likeable characters and an authentic feel to the setting.
I am so grateful to the person who recommended Trevor Wood, a new to me author. The Man On The Street is his debut novel, although he is an experienced and successful playwright.
Wow! I loved this book! It is a fast paced, well worked out gritty crime novel but it is so much more than that. The main character, Jimmy, is a homeless veteran grappling with PTSD and the story opens when he hears the splash of something – or rather someone – falling into the river. When he later discovers that a young woman is looking for her father, Jimmy goes to the police to report what he thought he saw. But nobody believes him.
But , as I said, there is so much more about this book than the unravelling of a very twisty crime. It’s the story of Jimmy and the other characters living rough on the streets of Newcastle, UK, written with compassion and empathy whilst at the same time never patronising nor sentimental. I had several ‘pause for thought’ moments as I followed Jimmy’s journey.
What’s more, I am delighted to see that there is a second book in the series, One Way Street, and I can’t wait to read it. It is already waiting right at the top of my To Be Read pile. I can’t wait for more of Jimmy’s journey. This is one of my Best Reads of 2020. I’d give it 10 stars if I could!
The second gritty Newcastle-set thriller in this unforgettable series about a homeless veteran turned local sleuth and vigilante. Follow up to the highly acclaimed The Man on the Street.
A series of bizarre drug-related deaths among runaway teenagers has set the North East’s homeless community on edge.
The word on the street is that a rogue batch of Spice – the zombie drug sweeping the inner cities – is to blame, but when one of Jimmy’s few close friends is caught up in the carnage loyalty compels him to find out what’s really going on.
One Way Street sees the welcome return of Jimmy Mullen, the homeless, PTSD-suffering, veteran as he attempts to rebuild his life following the events in The Man on the Street.
As his probation officer constantly reminds him: all he needs to do is keep out of trouble. Sadly for him, trouble seems to have a habit of tracking Jimmy down.
This is the first in what promises to be a great new crime series, featuring a homeless war veteran on the streets of Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Like a down and out Jackson Brodie, Jimmy can’t resist a cry for help even though the slightest stress is likely to trigger his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He’s every chance of making the situation more dangerous and landing himself in serious trouble.
Interspersed with flashbacks of Jimmy’s Falklands Campaign service in the Royal Navy and of the countless PTSD triggers he’s endured in the years since, this is a fast-paced novel that is gritty – and stomach-turningly graphic in places – but populated by characters with real heart. I look forward to book two.