by Robert D. Coates

A novel with a strong South Wales - Swansea Valley flavour, taking place from 1913 to 1920, the main character being a recently retired Welsh Coldstream Guards Sergeant, who, on arriving in the English West Country to begin his search for his sister and her family, finds himself the victim of a vicious attack by a gang of dockland thugs. Left destitute and hospitalised, he is befriended by a Salvation Army officer. She provides all the assistance he needs to recover from his situation, after which he starts his search with the aid of newly acquired friends for the thugs, who had attacked him and, as it turned out, for those who had also attacked his family at about the same time. Retribution would be just as vicious and violent on those he searched for, equal to that meted out to him and his family. The search takes him from the West Country to Swansea and the Valleys and back, before his revenge is almost satisfied. It is interrupted by the outbreak of World War 1 and as a reservist he is forced to re-enlist into the army where he again finds himself in many difficult situations, which culminate in him being involved in the most vicious and horrendous act of his life. He is mistakenly identified and captured by the Germans, but not released until almost two years after the Armistice. He has sworn that on his return to the UK he will continue his search for revenge.