As a law abiding citizen of Hull, it was both fascinating and worrying to read private investigator Joe Geraghty's first tale, and I had to keep reminding myself that it was in fact fiction! Broken Dreams will prove an absorbing read for anyone anywhere, as it does what proper crime fiction should do - conjure up a familiar world filled with villains, wrongdoings, and cold blooded murder!

Joe Geraghty might not own shares in "Queen's" but sups enough within its walls to be a virtual alckie by the time the novel reaches its denouement, leaving the reader with the impression there was a time when he could have let himself drift down that route. Being raised among Hull's trawling community during its death-throes, robbed of a promising career on the rugby league field by injury, and of his wife in a house fire, as he puts it himself, his work is the only reason to get out of bed of a morning - until the police arrive to point the finger. His surveillance target has been murdered the same night he's been mugged. Coincidence? As it happens, yes, but proving it opens a can of worms hauled straight from a shallow grave. If you like your Crime stories convoluted and the narration sparse, you won't be disappointed. We'll be seeing more of Joe Geraghty.