Forces at Work

by Taylen Calder

Tyler was barely fourteen years old when he mysteriously went missing without trace but his memory continued to cast a malign shadow over the troubled semi-urban community of Moorton in the north of England where lives were often not as they first appeared. As a recently appointed officer in a crisis ridden social services department, Paige Emerson's personal and professional boundaries were to become blurred as she was drawn into the fractured lives of those she worked with; some families on the edge of disintegration, others who were prepared to go to any lengths to hide their activity below the sight of even the criminal underworld with a callous disregard for the safety of others, however vulnerable. Then there was Clynton, a seemingly charming teenage orphan, who invited himself into Paige's life and wrapped himself around her family changing it forever as his own past unfolded.Written by a former child protection manager and chair of a charity working within a community in East Africa, Forces at Work explores contemporary social issues during a time of change and uncertain moral values within a charged political atmosphere.

401 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 18, 2019

Reviews

[Mandy Rosen · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Duncan Ifource · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.