The third and final book in the Jimmy Mullen series. The focus of this book is Jimmy's friend, Gadge, who has been beaten up and framed for murder. Jimmy must use all his contacts to try to prove Gadge's innocence.
As with the previous books in the series, it is the characters that make these books so wonderful to read. Jimmy's good nature and his desire to help whenever he can, plus the camaraderie among his acquaintances, give these books a heartwarming glow of faith in human nature amid the brutality of their lives.
The plot is good with plenty of surprises and an emotional ending. Humour, sadness, excitement, mystery and hope, this book has it all.

Jimmy Mullen # three.

Jimmy is on a life licence so has to be careful with every move he makes. Things are looking up for him as he now has a job at the charity ‘House and Home’, a flat and Dog. The three musketeers of Jimmy, Gadge and Deano meet at the Pit Stop to discuss a fake homeless campaign, a Facebook page that alleges few are genuine. There have been a spate of attacks on the homeless which becomes a personal quest for Jimmy as he is once more called upon to be Sherlock Homeless and risk the consequences to help a good mate.

This is an excellent Newcastle-based trilogy and it’s a shame to say goodbye to it but I understand the authors reasons. Shining a spotlight on the homeless, making them slap bang at the centre of the storytelling, allowing us to get to know and understand them and their backgrounds has been an unforgettable journey.

Jimmy is ex-Navy who has served in the Falklands War and has suffered PTSD as a consequence. Deano’s traumatic past is covered in Book 2 and this one focuses on Gadge and demonstrates just how easy it is for a promising life to deteriorate with startling rapidity. The book backtracks to 1984 and we learn how he gets his name and his tragic losses which are in stark contrast to his situation today. These are amazing characters and you ride a rollercoaster with them in solidarity. All the characters are well portrayed from social worker Sandy whose colourful grasp of the English language makes you smile to long suffering cop Andy Burns. You also get to see a softer side to Jimmy via his daughter Kate belying his tough exterior.

The fantastic city of Newcastle as a backdrop suits the storyline as we witness it’s dark underbelly and I love hearing Geordie via the dialogue! This novel, like the other two, is without doubt dark and gritty with violence only a step away which sadly gives the novels their authenticity. Jimmy has to use all his skills, intelligence and bravery to risk a great deal against some ruthless people especially in organised crime. It’s an up and down investigation with some sadness into the bargain which makes for compelling reading. The novel starts at a fast pace and there’s little let up throughout.

This is a fantastic series which takes a different approach to other crime novels. They have a bit of everything from humour to the opposite end of the spectrum with excellent characters and well thought out plots. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Quercus for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Trevor Wood concludes his ex-naval PTSD suffering Jimmy 'Sherlock Homeless' Mullen trilogy with a heartbreaking bang. Set in Newcastle, Jimmy's closest street friends are Gadge and Deano, they are the Three Musketeers. After the last book focused on Deano's harrowing past, here it is the alcoholic Gadge who takes centre stage, his poor health, he has suffered debilitating heart attacks but this does not stop his hard drinking. He has never talked about the trauma and losses he suffered that led to him becoming homeless, but when a number of homeless men are seriously attacked, there is a bar owner's website that claims the homeless are 'fakes', he wants to go after the vigilantes. He asks Jimmy to join him, but Jimmy is now in a different place, he has a job in 18-25 hostel, along with a flat that goes with it. He has far more too lose, and cannot afford to join Gadge.

Gadge ends up horrendously beaten up in an alley, covered in the blood of a murder victim, and a baseball bat in his hand. Gadge ends up being charged in murder and in prison, but his poor health and the challenging prison environment do not bode well, he will not survive long as he deteriorates to the state of a walking corpse. Jimmy is convinced Gadge is innocent, and knows he must get him out of prison as soon as possible as he becomes a investigator for Charlie Gascoigne, Gadge's lawyer. With the help of the likes of the wonderful librarian, Aoife, Maggie at the Pit Stop, Deano, and cop Andy Burns, whose life he saved, Jimmy starts to look for someone who has a motive in setting up Gadge for murder. As he follows various leads, life is made more complicated and dangerous when local hard man gangster, Stevie Connors, insists that he work for him for nothing, and Stevie is not a man you can say no to.

Wood's storytelling is dark and intense, highlighting the grim realities of being homeless in the age of political austerity, and just how easy it is to end up on a downward spiral away from the normal life of family, marriage, and work and end up living the hard and dangerous life of the streets. This is highlighted by Gadge's personal history, his marriage to the love of his life, Lucy, the sacrifices he made for her, his business ending up going down the pan, followed by the loss of his home. There is hope in the form of Jimmy, slowly addressing his PTSD and building ever stronger ties with his daughter, Kate, who is getting married to Carrie and wants him to give her away at the wedding, and this results in him getting back in touch with Bev, his ex-wife, but there is a sense that there is a part of him that misses the familiarity of being on the streets. This is a riveting addition to this wonderful series, with masses of suspense and tension, and a unique angle with its 'homeless' sleuth. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.