I swept up a pinch of wet soil and dropped it onto Monty's coffin. It hit the polished wood lid with a dull thud and the rain mixed it to mud in a couple of seconds. One year after The Last Straight Face and Danny is at the cemetery to say goodbye to his old friend the arch-villain Monty. And, as no one in the criminal underworld ever dies without some unfinished business, it's not long before he finds himself acting on Monty's last request to him: to make sure his wife, Noriko, gets the 3 million pounds he is owed for his last job. It sounds a simple enough favour for an old friend, but nothing is ever that easy. The money has disappeared, and Danny's only contact has been found tortured to death on a rundown estate in Moss Side. Then, just when he thinks things can't get any worse, Noriko is kidnapped ? Welcome back to Danny's world: watch out for snakes in the grass and lowlife hustlers, look out for a knife in your back, and enjoy the adventure. AUTHOR: Bruce Kennedy Jones is an investigative journalist specialising in crime. His production company, Black Arrow, has made programmes for ITV, Channel 4 and Five. Eric Allison, once described by the Manchester Police as being ?among the top echelons of British criminals', is now a journalist and campaigner for prisoners' rights. They met while Jones was making a major series for the BBC about Britain's prison system. SALES ? The prequel, THE LAST STRAIGHT FACE, was well-received with great publicity coverage including TV, radio and press ? Both authors know a great deal about the world of crime and bring an extraordinarily authentic feel to their book ? Works as a stand-alone title as well as a sequel
