'Every day I buckle on my guns and go out to patrol this dingy city.' Out on the far northern border of a failed state, Makepeace patrols the ruins of a dying city and tries to keep its unruly inhabitants in check. Into this cold, isolated world comes evidence that life is flourishing elsewhere - a refugee from the vast emptiness of forest, whose existence inspires Makepeace to take to the road to reconnect with human society. A novel of retribution and forgiveness from the prize-winning author of 'The Paperchase' and 'A Blow to the Heart'.