Blog Tour Book Review and Excerpt : Black Moss by David Nolan

In April 1990,as rioters took over Strangeways Prison in Manchester,someone dumped the body of a young boy at Black Moss.

And nobody cared

No one except Danny Johnson,an inexperienced (and fully functioning alcoholic) radio reporter trying to make a name for himself in the cut throat world of journalism.

In 2016, Danny returns to his home city to revisit the murder that has always haunted him.

If Danny can find out what really happened to the young boy,maybe he can cure the emptiness he's felt inside since he was a child.

But someone is prepared to go to any lengths including hurting Danny and anyone he cares about in order to stop him from uncovering the truth.

Black Moss is a thought-provoking,part factual/part fictional thriller that if I'm honest,I enjoyed at lot more than I thought I would. The insights into the inner workings of a radio station in the early 1990s were fascinating but never overshadowed the story. There was also references to the pop culture from both years scattered throughout the book. I don't remember a lot about the riots/protests at Strangeways but I don't think anyone could forget the pictures of the prisoners on the roof of the prison. It's very disturbing to me as a parent and reflects very badly on modern society that even now in the 21st century underprivileged children can be abused and disappear and the people who were supposed to protect them and find out what happened couldn't care less. That innocent children who ask for help are ignored and at times even blamed for the abuse that they have been subjected too. Fortunately our hero Danny cared about the poor young boy and was determined to uncover the truth. Danny was a complex,likeable character who despite his flaws, you couldn't help routing for as the story unfolded. I loved Danny's interactions with his friends Gary Keenan and DI John Smithdown who were my other favourite characters along with another character called Kate. There was not many main characters in this book but the characters who were in it were vivid and realistic. Some likeable and a couple who were very unlikable,evil,twisted,sick individuals.

Black Moss is a enthralling thriller that keeps the reader guessing until towards the end of the book. There was a couple of uncomfortable moments but they weren't overly graphic. This is the first book that I have read by this author and I look forward to reading more books written by him in the future,hopefully featuring Danny and his friends.

Twenty-six after the events of 1990, Danny is now ‘Daniel’, a famous TV presenter. He’s been arrested for drink driving and has to go for treatment at an addiction centre. This is what it’s really like. Trust me!

Leaning into the intercom, Daniel pressed the button next to the speaker and waited for his cue to talk. Nothing. He buzzed again.

‘Hello?’ the female voice said.

‘Hi. It’s Daniel Johnston. I’ve an appointment with Jo McGuire.’

‘Push the door and come through,’ came the reply. Daniel tried to do as he was told but pushed too soon. The door didn’t move. After he’d finished pushing, the door buzzed, and the latch was opened. By the time he realised he’d missed his cue, the door had locked again. He pressed the intercom again. ‘Hi. It’s Daniel again... I... sorry...’

The door buzzed again and this time he made it through and into a tiny reception area with enough room for two people, three at a push. There were two layers of glass between him and the receptionist. A large sign warned that the physical or verbal abuse of staff would not be tolerated. The receptionist – a woman in her thirties with tattoo-covered arms – glanced at him over the top of her large, black-rimmed glasses. ‘Are you here for the needle exchange?’ she said.

Daniel returned her look. Then he realised that she was talking to him. Needle exchange? ‘No,’ he said. After a pause, he added: ‘I’m with the alkies.’ He smiled at the receptionist, quite pleased with his attempt at keeping the situation light. It didn’t seem to have worked – her face was unchanged. ‘Alcohol support,’ said Daniel. ‘I’m with the alcohol support programme.’

‘Alcohol is to the left. Go through, take seat.’ A second door buzzed, and Danny went through into the waiting area. Things are bad, he thought, but they could be worse. I could be turning right.

Daniel sat down. The furniture was dark beige and blocky. The floor was a chessboard of dull, dark brown and light brown plastic tiles. There were framed pictures on the wall that were abstract and bland. One wall was completely covered in leaflets and flyers: self-help, support groups, psychotherapy, yoga, Pilates, massage – all the kind of things that he would normally have given a very wide berth to.

He sat very still. Very still indeed. Don’t look right, he thought.

                                                                         
                                                                   AUTHOR BIO

David is a multi-award-winning author, television producer and crime reporter. He has written a dozen books including Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil, the true story of the largest historic abuse case ever mounted by Greater Manchester Police. He presented a BBC Radio 4 documentary based on the book called The Abuse Trial. It won both the Rose D’Or and the New York International radio awards in 2016. Officers involved in the case helped David with the police procedures featured in Black Moss, particularly the way the system deals with missing children.

Twitter : @Nolanwriter

Publisher : @fahrenheitpress

PUBLICATION DATE : 27th September 2018

PUBLISHER : Fahrenheit Press

GENRE : Mystery,Private Investigation

PURCHASE LINK...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Moss-David-Nolan-ebook/dp/B07HRVN61K/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1540926978&sr=8-2&keywords=Black+Moss&linkCode=sl1&tag=lovboogroblo-21&linkId=d1ba4fedd7d5818227d5e65498a54cca&language=en_GB

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