Forces at Work

by Taylen Calder

An air of urban decay lingered over the northern community of Moorton and when 10-year-old Darryl Carter was seemingly robbed of his mobile phone by three youths, it appeared to be yet another low level crime. However, when the police returned him home and discovered the squalid conditions he was living in, lives began to unravel, revealing a sophisticated county lines drugs operation and child abuse network that stretched deep into the heart of the local police force and other agencies at the highest level. As a recently appointed officer in a crisis ridden social work 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 shocking past unfolded, a past that those in power had fought to keep hidden lest it exposed their own corruption. Exploring social work and child protection practice, Forces at Work, written by a former child protection social worker manager, is based on true foster care and child abuse stories wrapped within a gritty police crime mystery thriller as lives become exposed resulting in ultimate tragedy whilst a heart-warming tale of love and friendship endures. Whilst a stand alone novel, the journeys of the main characters in Forces at Work continue in No Place for Scion? and conclude in Scorpion .

332 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 14, 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.