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Forces at Work: A contemporary urban social work novel set in a former colliery town in the north-east of England
Paige Emerson is a newly qualified social worker starting out on an understaffed and under-resourced team in the former colliery town of Moorton in the north-east of England. There she meets Clynton Laurent, a seemingly charming teenage orphan brought up in care, whose own past is shrouded in mystery and kept that way by conspiratorial management across more than one powerful agency determined to silence the past.
A series of unconnected cases and events starting with the benign theft of a mobile phone begins to unravel a sophisticated county lines drugs operation and child abuse network stretching deep into the heart of the local police force and other agencies at the highest level. As Paige and Clynton's personal lives become unwittingly intertwined, blurring personal and professional boundaries, she finds herself at increasing risk from forces at work she can't even begin to comprehend, putting her life and that of her young son and others in mortal danger.
While a stand-alone novel, the journeys of those who survive 'Forces at Work' continue in the Moorton Community Novels, a series of gritty but often humerous urban stories exploring the lives of those living on the edge during a time of change and uncertain moral values where no-one is safe.
A series of unconnected cases and events starting with the benign theft of a mobile phone begins to unravel a sophisticated county lines drugs operation and child abuse network stretching deep into the heart of the local police force and other agencies at the highest level. As Paige and Clynton's personal lives become unwittingly intertwined, blurring personal and professional boundaries, she finds herself at increasing risk from forces at work she can't even begin to comprehend, putting her life and that of her young son and others in mortal danger.
While a stand-alone novel, the journeys of those who survive 'Forces at Work' continue in the Moorton Community Novels, a series of gritty but often humerous urban stories exploring the lives of those living on the edge during a time of change and uncertain moral values where no-one is safe.
418 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 28, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 25, 2020
I read one of the author's other books 'No Place for Scion? and when I got to its OMG conclusion, realised that although it was a 100% stand alone novel, it built on this book 'Forces at Work' which I have now read twice back to back as the second novel takes the story forward and unexpectedly in a 'what happened next' psychological and gritty drama.
I read this twice because there certainly were mysterious 'forces at work' running throughout the book, often on the reader and, on re-reading it, there were a number of 'Oh, I missed that' moments as well as a few tears.
I fell in love (sorry) with one of the characters in the second book and 'Forces at Work' develops his back story as it wraps itself around this mystery thriller.
'No Place for Scion' was originally recommended to me by a social work colleague and 'Forces at Work' uses a cash strapped northern social work department as the vehicle to drive the story forward and for once social workers weren't depicted as useless do-gooders or malign interferers. rather a plot device to raise some ethical and moral issues. The book is equally accessible to anyone not connected with social services though probably a must read for those who are.
I really loved this book, even Darryl and don't get me started on his journey as it develops! Highly recommended.
I read this twice because there certainly were mysterious 'forces at work' running throughout the book, often on the reader and, on re-reading it, there were a number of 'Oh, I missed that' moments as well as a few tears.
I fell in love (sorry) with one of the characters in the second book and 'Forces at Work' develops his back story as it wraps itself around this mystery thriller.
'No Place for Scion' was originally recommended to me by a social work colleague and 'Forces at Work' uses a cash strapped northern social work department as the vehicle to drive the story forward and for once social workers weren't depicted as useless do-gooders or malign interferers. rather a plot device to raise some ethical and moral issues. The book is equally accessible to anyone not connected with social services though probably a must read for those who are.
I really loved this book, even Darryl and don't get me started on his journey as it develops! Highly recommended.
June 19, 2019
As a former social worker there are too few books on this subject so was looking forward to this when I found it on Amazon. I wasn't disappointed as the book developed complex issues as the story unfolded in can what can only be described as a compelling mystery thriller with an explosive ending. Mystery adoptions, drug lines, personal conflicts its all there. Looking forward to hopefully a sequel.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews