The Domino Boys — D.M. Mitchell

Join the 150,000+ readers who have downloaded a Mitchell novel in the last twelve moths alone and discover why he's being hailed as one of the UK's most imaginative writers of psychological thrillers. "The sins of the father... Are there to be exploited..." It began with a funeral... Mickey Craddick has long been the town of Overthorpe's Mr Big - a man with his dirty finger in all sorts of dirty pies, from drug-pushing to extortion and blackmail. But now he is dead and the residents of Overthorpe start to breathe a sigh of relief. None more so than three men, close friends since childhood. They gather each Friday to enjoy a quiet game of dominos - an old family tradition. Duncan Winslade is a retired police officer; Barry Stocker is unemployed and down-on-his-luck; Alfie Parker runs his own carpet cleaning business. All three of them are united by the fact they're more than glad to see the back of Mickey Craddick. That's because each one of them has a secret, and Mickey Craddick has been blackmailing each in turn for years. Not only the Domino Boys, as they are affectionately called, but Mickey Craddick has been using and abusing many people in the town of Overthorpe. They're all happy and relieved that their secrets have been taken to the grave with him. Just when the Domino Boys think it's safe to relax Mickey Craddick's son Donnie comes onto the scene. He wants to take over from where his estranged father left off. He's got big plans and wants to begin by becoming Overthorpe's next Mr Big. Unbeknown to anyone, Mickey Craddick had kept a detailed record of the town's many secrets, set out in a pile of little red books. Donnie gets his hands on these and first sets his sights on Duncan, Barry and Alfie, dragging their past misdemeanours back into the open again. He'll stop at nothing to get what he wants. Then Donnie discovers a million pounds in counterfeit notes, which his father had been about to sell on before his death, a haul that will help him finance his plans. But the notes go missing, stolen by another contender for the throne - Roberto Ginetta. The Domino Boys find themselves embroiled in a double-crossing, no-holds-barred underworld power game in which they're dragged deeper and deeper. But can the three friends not only survive the corrupt ambition, extortion and murder unscathed to rise up and beat Donnie Craddick against all odds? The Domino Boys is D. M. Mitchell once more at his imaginative best, penning a fast-moving, twisting, complex, character-driven psychological thriller driving towards his trademark unexpected conclusion that will leave you gasping for breath.