All Down the Line

When is a crime not a crime

Manchester 2017: Cain Bell thinks he has finally found happiness with April Sands, a celebrated chef and the love of his life. But on the night he proposes, April reveals a shocking secret: the man who confessed to killing Cain’s daughter in a hit-and-run accident two decades ago was not the real driver. As Cain seeks answers, he discovers April harbours many more dark secrets - one of them ties her to the very tragedy that has haunted him for years. Caught between seeking vengeance and turning the other cheek, Cain must navigate the blurred lines between right and wrong in pursuit of a truth that will either renew or destroy him.

Author’s Note

All Down the Line was first published in December 2020. Earlier that year the Covid pandemic broke out in the UK and our lives would never be the same again. A year earlier I left Manchester to live by the sea in Northumberland and Line was my farewell to the brilliant city where I’d spent most of my adult life. When I revisited the book to publish a hardcover version last year, minor revisions evolved into a more extensive rewrite. Although I loved the original narrative arc and all the characters, the world has changed so much in five years and our heroes no longer automatically win, nor does justice prevail, although ’karma’ always has its way. Truth and facts no longer matter in a polarised world where disingenuous billionaire big mouths rule the waves. Sooner or later, democracy will have its day in the sun again - but only if we make sure we never give the belligerent buggers an easy ride and call them out whenever they lie, steal and cheat.

Andrew J Field, 2025