Set in lock down Britain, the book narrates an innocent father's desperate fight to clear his name and get his two children back. This explosive drama begins as a flashback to 29th June 1986 as the World Cup final is taking place in Mexico. At the same time on the other side of the globe, two terrifying incidents trigger a journey that brings a man and a woman together, then tears them apart.
Andy Carter lived in a marriage controlled by his wife's temper. One day he was compelled to stand up to her to protect his children, an action that would trigger the unravelling of his life and threaten his very existence. It charts his journey through marriage breakdown and suicidal thoughts, the family courts and the criminal justice system as he fights fictitious controlling and coercive behaviour allegations and a prejudiced police service.
These events illustrate a much wider problem in society where thousands of men are living in toxic and hostile relationships, too afraid to say or do anything to upset their partners. The fear of losing their children, their homes, their savings and even their liberty stops them escaping and pushes some to commit suicide as the only way out.
A generation of children were starved of love in the seventies and eighties, some exposed to abuse and others with alcoholic parents. Many of these women are now mothers of their own children with research confirming that trauma experienced as a child can be manifested in their relationship with the father of those children.
It is hoped that this story and its accompanying music will be a catalyst for change, providing hope and support for such men, enabling them to tell their stories without fear of recrimination. The book and album will be published in 2026, in the meantime you can read the first chapter as a free PDF and hear the title track for free.
This material contains strong language and references to violence and drug use.