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Paris 75
Spring 1975. Leeds United are closing in on the only trophy that's so far eluded them - the European Cup.
In Leeds a gangland dispute spirals dangerously out of control and leaves Alan Connolly trying to stay one step ahead of Millgarth CID, Special Branch, the Provisional IRA, a shadowy ex-CIA operative and the demons in his own head.
Leeds United's travelling army are heading for a date with destiny on a balmy May night in Paris. Their team believe they're finally about to become champions of Europe.
Alan Connolly is just hoping he can stay alive long enough to see it happen.
Gritty Urban fiction with a terrace twist from the days when it was still grim up north.
In Leeds a gangland dispute spirals dangerously out of control and leaves Alan Connolly trying to stay one step ahead of Millgarth CID, Special Branch, the Provisional IRA, a shadowy ex-CIA operative and the demons in his own head.
Leeds United's travelling army are heading for a date with destiny on a balmy May night in Paris. Their team believe they're finally about to become champions of Europe.
Alan Connolly is just hoping he can stay alive long enough to see it happen.
Gritty Urban fiction with a terrace twist from the days when it was still grim up north.
213 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 22, 2024
1 person is currently reading
5 people want to read
About the author
Billy Morris
7 books1 followerBilly Morris was born in Leeds, Yorkshire in 1966. He left Leeds in the late 1990's and has lived and worked in Europe and USA. He now lives mainly in South East Asia with regular visits back to Yorkshire.
He wrote his first book 'Bournemouth 90' in 2021 and published the sequel, LS92, in 2022. The books open the 'Eighties Leeds' series - Gritty crime fiction set against the backdrop of a northern English city trying to reinvent itself, as its once famous football team emerges from a period in the doldrums to reclaim its position at the forefront of European football.
In September 2023 Morris published LS65. A prequel to the first two books, the story is set in 1965 and finds one of the key characters from Bournemouth90 arriving in Leeds as a teenager at the height of the swinging 60's. Mods and Rockers, scooters, dance halls and pills form the backdrop to the tale as Alan Connolly tries to establish himself in the criminal underworld while battling his own demons.
Paris 75 is the fourth and final book in the 'Eighties Leeds series'. Set ten years after LS65 and fifteen years before Bournemouth 90, the book contrasts the declining fortunes of the city of Leeds during the economic turmoil of the mid 1970's with the achievements of its football team, who are now chasing the elusive dream of a European cup victory. On the streets of Leeds, a gangland feud spirals out of control and leaves Alan Connolly trying to stay one step ahead of the police, special branch, the Provisional IRA and the demons in his own head.
"If you like crime thrillers with a touch of terrace culture you will enjoy the journey these books take you on."
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR - "I'm often asked which order the 4 'Eighties Leeds' books should be read in. Although each book is a standalone story, so can be read individually, they do feature some of the same characters and reference is occasionally made to previous storylines. I would therefore say that either LS65 (the earliest date in the timeline) or Bournemouth90 (the first book written) are the obvious places to start."
'Birdsong on Holbeck Moor' is Morris's first standalone story, set during the tumultuous period at the end of World War 1. The Leeds Pals have been decimated at the Somme and the soldiers who survived return to find a city in the grip of a global pandemic, with food rationing, unemployment and a football team facing expulsion from the league due to financial irregularities during the war years. Throw in an unhealthy dose of corruption, inter-city gang wars and witchcraft and you have the makings of a dark, gritty, Edwardian thriller.
Morris's 6th book, Spotter, published in April 2025, moves into the new millenium, but follows the same gritty fact-meets-fiction formula of his previous work. It's April 2001. The city of Leeds is reinventing itself as an economic powerhouse, and David O'Leary's young United side are conquering Europe in the champions league. For PC Charlie Mills it couldn't be better time to return to his home town as Leeds' football intelligence 'spotter.' But Charlie and the city have a dark history and when a local gang leader is released from prison to unleash a reign of terror, Charlie is forced to revisit his past and question whose side he's on… and try to remember who he really is.
Morris's latest book is nineteen85, released in Nov 2025. The latest story is set against the usual football background with Leeds United languishing in the second division, in a decaying stadium plagued by the worst hooligans in the country. Margaret Thatcher's government have beaten the miners and the IRA bombers but social unrest is rising. Adversity represents opportunity for 3 men - a politician, a tabloid reporter and a local crime boss who wants to own a football club. 3 men trying to manage a situation which is spiralling out of control in an era of greed, power and corruption.
Follow the author on Twitter @Yorkshire_Tales and Facebook BillyMorrisAuthor
He wrote his first book 'Bournemouth 90' in 2021 and published the sequel, LS92, in 2022. The books open the 'Eighties Leeds' series - Gritty crime fiction set against the backdrop of a northern English city trying to reinvent itself, as its once famous football team emerges from a period in the doldrums to reclaim its position at the forefront of European football.
In September 2023 Morris published LS65. A prequel to the first two books, the story is set in 1965 and finds one of the key characters from Bournemouth90 arriving in Leeds as a teenager at the height of the swinging 60's. Mods and Rockers, scooters, dance halls and pills form the backdrop to the tale as Alan Connolly tries to establish himself in the criminal underworld while battling his own demons.
Paris 75 is the fourth and final book in the 'Eighties Leeds series'. Set ten years after LS65 and fifteen years before Bournemouth 90, the book contrasts the declining fortunes of the city of Leeds during the economic turmoil of the mid 1970's with the achievements of its football team, who are now chasing the elusive dream of a European cup victory. On the streets of Leeds, a gangland feud spirals out of control and leaves Alan Connolly trying to stay one step ahead of the police, special branch, the Provisional IRA and the demons in his own head.
"If you like crime thrillers with a touch of terrace culture you will enjoy the journey these books take you on."
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR - "I'm often asked which order the 4 'Eighties Leeds' books should be read in. Although each book is a standalone story, so can be read individually, they do feature some of the same characters and reference is occasionally made to previous storylines. I would therefore say that either LS65 (the earliest date in the timeline) or Bournemouth90 (the first book written) are the obvious places to start."
'Birdsong on Holbeck Moor' is Morris's first standalone story, set during the tumultuous period at the end of World War 1. The Leeds Pals have been decimated at the Somme and the soldiers who survived return to find a city in the grip of a global pandemic, with food rationing, unemployment and a football team facing expulsion from the league due to financial irregularities during the war years. Throw in an unhealthy dose of corruption, inter-city gang wars and witchcraft and you have the makings of a dark, gritty, Edwardian thriller.
Morris's 6th book, Spotter, published in April 2025, moves into the new millenium, but follows the same gritty fact-meets-fiction formula of his previous work. It's April 2001. The city of Leeds is reinventing itself as an economic powerhouse, and David O'Leary's young United side are conquering Europe in the champions league. For PC Charlie Mills it couldn't be better time to return to his home town as Leeds' football intelligence 'spotter.' But Charlie and the city have a dark history and when a local gang leader is released from prison to unleash a reign of terror, Charlie is forced to revisit his past and question whose side he's on… and try to remember who he really is.
Morris's latest book is nineteen85, released in Nov 2025. The latest story is set against the usual football background with Leeds United languishing in the second division, in a decaying stadium plagued by the worst hooligans in the country. Margaret Thatcher's government have beaten the miners and the IRA bombers but social unrest is rising. Adversity represents opportunity for 3 men - a politician, a tabloid reporter and a local crime boss who wants to own a football club. 3 men trying to manage a situation which is spiralling out of control in an era of greed, power and corruption.
Follow the author on Twitter @Yorkshire_Tales and Facebook BillyMorrisAuthor
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 8, 2024
I've read all the books by this author so was looking forward to the release of Paris 75. As with his previous work, the writing style is tight, with short chapters switching between two separate time lines and two apparently disparate sets of characters. As the book progresses, these timelines collide with predictably violent consequences. There's also a twist at the end which I didn't see coming! Paris 75 is the sequel to LS65 and the prequel to Bournemouth 90 and LS92. You don't need to have read the other books to read this but I'd say reading LS65 first would add to your understanding and enjoyment of the story.
Displaying 1 of 1 review