1984: Thatcher's Conservative government in power. The miners on strike. Two Tribes going to war.
2001: Blair's Labour government enters its historic second term. The rail network is collapsing; the National Health Service descending into chaos. Things can only get better?
Coldwell, a former pit town on the Northumberland coast, was once a cheerful and prosperous place. It now lies bleak and eerily empty.
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.
As the lives of the five unfold, it becomes clear that the strike of '84 will have unforeseen and devastating repercussions - not only for those directly involved, but for future generations too.
