Mickey finds himself drawn into a plot to blow up the King and Queen of England - just like in 1605 - but different, as this is 2025, and technical means have changed. Like a dog with a bone, he can't let the mystery slow him down, but it is a complete surprise when he finds that his old boss, Captain Gibson from British Security, not only knows all about the conspiracy but has allocated his finest agent to infiltrate the gang - Amelia Hartliss, Melia to her friends (like Mickey). The distraction and the danger are apparent to Mickey, but the stakes are so high. He cannot stand by and watch while the Monarch is invited to Salford in North West England to launch the beginning of 'Swinton 50', at the Civic Centre in the town, seemingly not having been told his life may be in danger. It's a race against time to identify the evil regicides but also save Melia from being discovered. No one, Mickey decides, no one is going to put the love of his life in harm's way. He has to love fast.
Autorentext
Mickey is from Manchester, and he's a Tough Guy. My name is Mike Scantlebury and I'm the author. I'm not a tough guy, I'm more like an opal, small and perfectly formed. But - more bad news, and worse than that - I'm from Bristol, which is a small, historic port in South West England. It's only claim to fame is that people sailed from there in the 15th century and discovered America. Oh, yeah, well, that is quite a Big Thing, isn't it? But that's the deceptive part of the whole story. I live in Salford now, across the river from the big Northern city of Manchester. My 'Manchester' is not like anyone else's, and if you think you know Manchester - maybe from reading other books set there, or seeing the place on films or on television - I need you to know that. Things aren't always what they seem, are they? Luckily, Manchester has Mickey, which means, fortunately for them, that whenever something bad happens, (and it does, regularly), they've got someone who is going to come in, do The Right Thing, and clear up the mess. Not every town can say that now, can they?