The gritty reality of criminal investigation in the nineteen seventies. The story is set on industrial Tyneside in the days of borough police forces. A detective manipulates an old school friend into becoming an informant. A corrupt relationship develops that threatens the detective's career. He uses the prison system to snuff out the problem.

The sequel to BOROUGH MEN moves into the nineteen eighties. The same detective is working undercover with an underworld contract on his head. He discovers child exploitation in the highest echelons of society. It's perceived to threaten the stability of the country. A national security agency facilitates the underworld contract and uses the criminal fraternity to snuff out the problem.