In October 1987, on a bleak Northumbrian shore, Arnold Prestwick wakes bruised, disorientated, and alone. By the time his memory resurfaces, he knows two things for certain: a man has been murdered, and Arnold is being positioned to take the blame. What begins as a single night of violence spirals into a relentless journey through fear, grief, and political extremism at the end of the Cold War.
Still shattered by the death of his wife at a peace protest, Arnold has allowed himself to be drawn into the orbit of a radical left-wing group, fuelled by anger and the promise of justice. But their enemies - the far right, ruthless and well funded - are already several steps ahead. Framed, manipulated, and hunted, Arnold is pushed towards Holy Island, a place of deep personal and spiritual meaning, now transformed into a flashpoint for nuclear weapons and violent confrontation.
As past and present collide, Arnold must navigate betrayal, memory, and his own capacity for violence. Surrounded by forces that treat human lives as expendable, he faces an unbearable question: can vengeance ever be separated from becoming what you despise?
Set against the harsh beauty of the North East coast, Hobthrush is a powerful, suspenseful novel about ideology, loss, and moral collapse. It blends political thriller with intimate psychological drama, asking what remains of faith, love, and decency when a world is driven to extremes.
