Villain — D.W. Wilson

Initially, the area of Tyneside in the North of England seems like nothing but a forgotten relic of a time gone by, an unassuming piece of history that hasn't seen excitement in decades. However, with armed robberies, drug dealing, racketeering and a whole host of other sordid activities seemingly engrained in the fabric of the society itself, for a time Tyneside acted as a bedrock for unpunished organised crime whose effects still reverberate to this day. As gangs begin to form and the lives of many are put in danger, the police only become more and more powerless as they repeatedly fail to stop the Wild West mentality that's currently sweeping their streets. Taking inspiration from real historical events that rocked the whole of Tyneside, Villain pulses with an aggressive energy as it documents one community's attempt to live with the criminals on its doorstep. With an ignoble cast of characters that aren't too distant from the area's real life Goodfellas, Villain unearths a devastating history of crime, brimming with an intensity the likes of which Britain has never seen. Based in part on true experiences that author Dave Wilson endured whilst growing up, Villain evocatively captures life on the other side of the law in a seemingly idyllic town. A brutally honest portrayal of criminal life, Wilson's gripping new novel brilliantly details how power corrupts all, and how even good men can be seduced by the intoxicating violence of organised crime. Climbing into the psyche of a hardened criminal, Villain gets into the inner-workings of what it means to act without a badge of honour.