Shuggie Boyle is a changed man. Which is why after serving four years for armed robbery, he’s skipped his licence and jacked a pensioner’s car. He is heading back to his ex-girlfriend’s house to retrieve the stash from the robbery. He’s following his long-term goal and the secret of keeping his temper. Happiness for Shuggie is only a few grand and a few thousand miles away – that journey from California (in Falkirk) to California (in America).

Ray Banks is one of the new wave of Scottish crime writers, with seven books to his name. He does, however, live in Newcastle. Banks took up crime fiction when the casino he worked in was ram-raided. “Banks is one of the freshest voices in hard-boiled crime fiction today.” – Library Journal