Under the Bridge

Book excerpt: 2004 - The discovery of a skeleton in the Liverpool docklands unearths long buried secrets. Reporter, Anne McCarthy is keen to prove herself and dives into the case with abandon. There she finds Michael, an old Irish caretaker who knows far more than he’s letting on. Meanwhile, Vinny Doyle is starting a postgrad degree, researching Liverpool’s immigrant history and a burgeoning Scouse identity. But Vinny has been neglecting his own family history and stranger Michael might know about his father disappeared in the 70s. 1955 - Escaping violence in Ireland, Michael falls in with Wicklow boys Jack Power and Paddy Doyle, who smuggle contraband through the docks. Putting them at odds with unions while they rally the dock workers against the rackets and the strikebreakers. As the conflict heightens, Michael questions the life sprawling out ahead of him. In the present, Anne races to solve the mystery, but is she prepared for what she’ll find? This is a story of identity, family, and the search for truth.