Why a Booktrail?
2000s: A gritty read about the bonds between parent and child and the threads which can unravel as well as bound us together. From the tip of Scotland to the southern most point of the British Isles
Redemption Road
What you need to know before your trail
A story of questions and right and wrong. Margaret, a school teacher, is rescued from a burning car. Who was the scared stranger who rescued her and then ran off? Her life has been full of secrets and she’s determined not to let this be another one. She has to find the man who rescued her in more ways than one.
Meanwhile up in Scotland, a young girl has been abducted and local reporter Angus is keen to find out more. His investigations take him to some dark places and he is soon on the trail of something much bigger. Over in Glasgow, George belongs to a notorious gangster family. George is looking for a better life and to escape the mistakes of the past.
Three very different lives about to clash.
Locations
ResetTravel Guide
The story has three main settings – London, Glasgow and Wick in the Scottish Highlands where the threads of the story start separately. We move back and forward in time to see the build up to current day events.
London
Where the novel opens and where the main action of the novel takes place. Margaret is driving along Willis Road when we meet her. But it’s then that the accident happens on the M11 and she’s taken to the Royal London Hospital.
Margaret’s story unfolds her and her story is a search which takes her across London in search of that scarred man who found her. She wants to know more about him and her childhood which has always been a mystery.
Scotland – Glasgow and Thurso
The main setting of the story – George is part of a crime family which harasses the city of Glasgow. He’s easy to like as he’s a rogue rather than a hardened criminal. But the weak link in a gangster chain is vulnerable and when something doesn’t go to plan, events turn sinister and his life spirals down a new and dangerous path. As well as the criminal buildings such as the Courthouse, there is a nice interlude at the library!
This is Glasgow circa 1985 where you still need coins to operate a call box, and where the life of a criminal is both violent and not for the faint hearted!
Wick
Meanwhile there is a keen journalist, Angus, on the search of his biggest story yet and when he discovers the story of a missing little girl, he thinks he spots something which needs further investigation. He’s a Scottish lad through and through – hardy – as was brought up in North Bay on the Isle of Barra (Isle of Hebrides) When he visits the parents of abducted Molly Kathleen and John, his curiosity is peaked.
Booktrailer Review
Clare: @thebooktrailer
Two, well three different stories where the threads become even more entangled and although you can more or less tell where they are going, it’s still a good ride to get there.
Three people with three very different backgrounds and goals in life, from Scotland to Penzance makes for a story which builds from the 1970s to the present day and jumps from one location to another but these threads get tighter until a picture forms.
Margaret’s story of her rescue by the scarred man was intriguing and I was keen to know what happened here. George I felt less for since he was from a criminal family but it was still interesting to see why he did what he did.
The flaws present in all of us and the will to carry on is strong and this was an interesting way to examine those thoughts. Characters are not black and white and I enjoyed reading the three very different opinions of Margaret, George and Angus.
I was very keen to find out like Margaret who the scarred man was and made for a nice twist!
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