Scene of the disastrous drug squad raid in the deserted dockland area of St Andrew’s Quay.
This dock is synonymous with Hull’s deep sea fishing heritage. It was originally designed for the coal trade but by the time it opened in 1883 it was earmarked solely for the use of the fishing industry which was undergoing a period of rapid expansion. The dock extension was opened in 1897. By the 1930s road transport was challenging rail and the last fish train ran in 1965. The last boom period in the industry was in the early 1970s. With the expansion of the freezer trawler fleet it was decided to move the fish docks to new buildings at Albert Dock in 1975 and St. Andrew’s Dock was closed. It has since fallen into a state of disrepair, despite the success of the nearby leisure and retail park.
“The light is momentarily airbourne, arcing upwards, bright against the dark sky, before it tumbles down, down . . . and smashes against the double doors at the back of the police van, stuffed to the gills with police officers.”ORIGINAL SKIN
Life is never quiet with Simon Appleyard and Suzie Devlin around. Fun-loving friends – their body markings as colourful as their sexuality – the pair’s lust for life is matched only by their hunger for taboo pleasures. And life is currently anything but quiet for DS Aector McAvoy. A recent explosion in violent drug-related crime in and around Hull has seen his workload drastically increase.
But a guilty secret – born of sex, politics and the criminal underworld – has given rise to a fresh evil; one that will soon stain each of these lives, linking their fates as painfully and intricately as tattooed markings on virgin skin.
‘Compelling . . . Richly satisfying and told with remarkable flair . . . confirms Mark as one of the darkest of the new faces in British crime writing, and not one to miss.’
DAILY MAIL