Black Moss : David Nolan
In April 1990, as rioters took over Strangeways prison in Manchester, someone killed a little boy at Black Moss.
And no one cared.
No one except Danny Johnston, an inexperienced radio reporter trying to make a name for himself.
More than a quarter of a century later, Danny returns to his home city to revisit the murder that's always haunted him.
If Danny can find out what really happened to the boy, maybe he can cure the emptiness he's felt inside since he too was a child.
But finding out the truth might just be the worst idea Danny Johnston has ever had.
"As one would expect from a writer with the skill and experience of David Nolan, this haunting book deals with very difficult issues in an incredibly sympathetic manner while at the same time throwing a light onto one of the most complicated and shaming areas of our society - the failure to protect those who are the most vulnerable."
Crime fiction stands or falls on realism – and books don’t get more realistic than Black Moss. Author David Nolan has drawn on his own experiences to create a novel that’s as dark and bleak as the real-life reservoir that it’s named after.
About the author
David is a multi award-winning author, television producer and crime reporter. He has written a dozen books including Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil, the true story of the largest historic abuse case ever mounted by Greater Manchester Police. He presented a BBC Radio 4 documentary based on the book called The Abuse Trial. It won both the Rose D’Or and the New York International radio awards in 2016. Officers involved in the case helped David with the police procedures featured in Black Moss, particularly the way the system deals with missing children.
What the author says about Black Moss
‘It’s set against the backdrop of the Strangeways riot because that’s a story I know very well,’ says David, who won a Royal Television Society award for his documentary about the riot, the biggest prison disturbance Britain has ever seen. ‘I spent three and a half weeks outside the jail covering the story in 1990. It was an astonishing experience. I don’t remember covering any other stories at the time. This made me think… what could you get away with if everyone – including the police and the media - were looking the other way? The other main location is the hills and moors around Manchester. They’re as atmospheric as any of the landscapes they have in places like Scandinavia, where so much crime fiction is set these days. We’ve had plenty of Nordic noir with things like The Killing and The Bridge – now with Black Moss we have Manc noir.’
Black Moss is Book One in The Manc Noir Trilogy
