The Prodigal

Author(s): Nicky Black

Location(s): Newcastle upon Tyne

Genre(s): Crime, Thriller

Era(s): Modern

Location

Content

The Prodigal is the first in a series of gritty crime novels set in the fictional housing estate of Valley Park in Newcastle upon Tyne. Exiled from his beloved Newcastle sixteen years ago, Detective Sergeant Lee Jamieson is returning home in search of the teenage daughter he’s never met. With a good promotion under his belt and his parents gone, he’s ready to return to his roots and the warm Geordie spirit he has missed so much. Much to his surprise, his first assignment is in Valley Park, a forgotten sink estate and home to some of the worst social deprivation in the country – the estate where he grew up, and where Nicola Kelly, the wife of a renowned local villain, calls home. As Lee and Nicola’s lives become entwined through a series of dramatic events, they fall in love and embark on a dangerous affair that will change both of their lives forever. Nicola’s husband, Micky, has few scruples, and, as he feels her slipping away, tightens his grip on her affections. In order for Lee and Nicola to be together, Micky Kelly has to go. The Prodigal examines the lives of those living on sink estates, not just in the North of England, but anywhere in the world, where domestic violence, drugs, organised crime and poverty are rife. But it also builds on the hope and humour that people living amidst such challenges show ever day as they struggle through life.

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