After the Bridge, a crime novel by Andrew J Field that starts and ends on the Humber bridge and spends the rest of the time in Manchester, will be published by Hit the North on Friday, 22nd November, 2024.
Two suicidal lost souls — failing actor Owen and traumatised Ukrainian refugee Becky — bump into each other by accident on the Humber bridge. They postpone death to honey-trap men, but find themselves drowning in a cesspit of cynicism, corruption and criminality after a blackmailer dies on them in a Manchester hotel. They can only rescue each other if they rediscover their humanity.
‘Bridge started out as cheeky grifter noir, but changed tack completely after Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Thousands have been killed and millions traumatised in Europe, but we are powerless to do anything to stop the war or the lies used to justify or mitigate it,’ says the book’s Berwick-based author, Andrew J Field.
‘Most of us believe we’re in control of our lives, but in reality fate dictates our destinies. I suppose After the Bridge is my noir take on the nihilistic worldview of Charles Bukowski’s ‘Pull A String, A Puppet Moves’. Unexpected events derail Owen and Becky’s lives and leave them at the mercy of others.’
‘Although After the Bridge has hard-hitting adult themes such as suicide, sexual assault, attempted date-rape, self-harm, incest, war crimes in Ukraine and identify theft, hopefully they are never gratuitous or salacious. Crime writers should avoid glorifying violence, sexual abuse and aggression.’
Emma Haughton, author of The Dark and The Sanctuary, describes the book as ‘dark, twisted and utterly compelling.’ Danuta Reah, author of The Last Room and Not Safe, says the novel was simply ‘engaging throughout’.
The book’s editor, Martin Fletcher, who has worked with Harry Thompson, David Gibbins, Robert Ryan, Jo Brand and Quintin Jardine, says, ‘the novel is consistently entertaining with a lively wit and inventive energy sustained throughout. Particularly appealing is the portrayal of strong women and characters who are sympathetic despite their excesses and flaws.’
Andrew J Field lives with Catherine by the sea in Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland, next to the docks and close to the Scottish border. Previous books include Without Rules and All Down The Line. A member of the Society of Authors and the Crime Writers Association, he has an MA in novel writing from the University of Manchester.
After the Bridge (ISBN: 978-1-9999826-7-6) is available for pre-order at www.afterthebridge.co.uk or on Amazon. The hardback is £19.99, paperback £9.99 and Kindle/download £5.
Publisher and blog site Hit the North, launching later this year, champions and celebrates hard-hitting classic and contemporary crime and noir in word, song and film.
ENDS (September 2024)
