BORN UNDER PUNCHES. (M.Waites)

Moving seamlessly between 1984 and the present day, this tautly-plotted thriller involves five Coldwell inhabitants whose lives are radically changed by the strike: Tony Woodhouse, a professional footballer who can't escape his shady past; Tommy Jobson, cruising the streets of Newcastle violently collecting debts; Mick Hutton, a striking miner, desperate to find ways to support his growing family; Stephen Larkin, an idealistic young journalist, determined to expose the truth about the strike - as he sees it; Stephen's sister, Louise, in love with Tony Woodhouse, stalked by a shadowy figure from her past.