The Prodigal by Nicky Black

Nicky Black's second book, The Rave (which is now on my TBR list) and I was given the opportunity to read this one by the TBC Reviewers Request Group on Facebook. I jumped at the chance!

The Blurb:

He's back. But at what cost?

When Detective Sergeant Lee Jamieson returns home after a sixteen year exile, the last thing he expects is to fall for Nicola Kelly, the wife of a hardened criminal who is determined to climb the ladder of one of the city's biggest organised crime syndicates.

When Lee starts his new position in Newcastle's CID team, he begins the task of cleaning up Valley Park Estate of its relentless crime and dealers, but as he becomes more embroiled in the lives of the Kelly family, and the woman he loves is put in danger, he realises he faces a stark choice: does he walk away from Nicola, or does he bring her husband down?

The Prodigal is a crime novel like no other - a story of star-crossed lovers whose worlds collide on a Newcastle estate where organised crime is rife, and violence and fear are the accepted currency.

My Review:

Lee returns to Newcastle after many years away, and is assigned to work on the estate where he grew up - somewhere he had never wanted to return to. The estate is rough and rife with crime.

Early on he spies Nicola, wife of hard man Micky Kelly, and is immediately drawn to her, but his job means he has to sort out crime on the estate, and that might involve her husband...

This is a crime story, packed with action, but it is much more than that. The deprivation of the lives of those on the estate is exquisitely described. It's a social commentary, but never ever preachy. And it's a tale of love - Romeo and Juliet across the social divide.

I really enjoyed this, and am looking forward to reading The Rave - sounds interesting! One wee unimportant side note - after discovering Nicky Black was two people, I was surprised that the acknowledgements were in the singular.

You can buy The Prodigal here.

The Author:

Nicky Black writes gritty, North East crime fiction, full of drama, twists and turns. Geordie criminals divide and rule their territories with a mixture of fear, threats and violence.

Nicky Black is a collaboration between two friends, Nicky and Julie, who have known each other for over 20 years. They both had careers in urban regeneration back in the 90s, working at the heart of disadvantaged communities in the North East of England. During that time they experienced the real grit and struggle of peoples' every-day lives, as well as their humour and determination to lead a happy existence, whatever that meant to them.

Their mutual love of writing has brought together two key ingredients: whilst Nicky loves to write vivid descriptions and narrative, Julie excels in writing dialogue. Together they've created a winning formula, bringing a new voice to Geordie crime fiction.

Nicky was born and brought up in Alnwick in Northumberland, settling in Newcastle upon Tyne for 12 years before moving south for career reasons. She now lives in North Tyneside. Julie is a born and bred Geordie and still lives in the Toon.

You can visit the website here.