Richard T. Kelly: Crusaders

Richard T. Kelly's Crusaders was acclaimed as one of 2008's best debut novels. A contemporary parable, it shifts between past and present, its backdrop the thorny history of Labour and industry in the North-East, as a new shade - New Labour - steals across the landscape. The novel's multiple storylines mesh superbly into a compelling narrative, driven by sharp social observation, darkly desperate humour and an undercurrent of impending violence. The author's second novel, The Possessions of Doctor Forrest, is published in June 2011.