Nicki's book blog

Friday 6 September 2019

Crossing The Whitewash (Boxer boys)- Nick Rippington- contemporary urban fiction-

This is the story of Gary Marshall born in a rundown area of tower blocks in London

that all had the names of legendary boxers. When he meets Arnie whose father is in

prison and knows how to look after himself they become the Boxer boys with a few

other friends. Gary has dreams of becoming a footballer and is doing well however

one night out and his idea of crowd surfing changes his dreams for ever. The gang

have been rather more than he ever anticipated and trouble has been following him

for too many years. He moves away, changes his name and blags a job as a sports

reporter on a Welsh newspaper. He soon becomes involved in the life of a past

legend of rugby as well as a young work experience boy and his father who help

him.as he is helping the boy Jason with work. Gareth as he now is, is desperate

to hide his past and forge a career and life for himself. I had no preconceived

ideas when I read this book and it threw me to start with. A life of crime and

wrong doings and then a rapid change. I found myself smiling at Gareth and

JW and Jason and found myself in a different world from where we began-

the talented writing of Nick- and I felt for Gareth and what he was trying to

achieve. A very different read for me, one I am very glad I came across.

I look forward to the next instalment.

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Book Description:

Some Family feuds just won’t go away… For 40 years the Dolans and the Marshalls have lived side by side on the same rundown housing estate in east London. While teens Gary Marshall and Arnie Dolan forge a close friendship, fighting constant battles to survive both on the streets and closer to home, the relationship between their parents is complicated and, at times, toxic. Gradually family secrets emerge which have their roots in the early 80s… and Gary and Arnie realise their entire upbringing was built on lies.

Author Bio:

NICK RIPPINGTON is one of the victims of the News of the World phone-hacking scandal you never hear about.

As the newspaper’s Welsh Sports Editor, he was made redundant with two days notice when Rupert Murdoch closed down Europe’s biggest-selling tabloid in 2011.

On holiday at the time, Nick was never allowed back into the building, investigators sealed off the area with crime scene tape and seized his computer, which contained all the secrets to his Fantasy Football selections.

Handed the contents of his desk in a black bin bag in a murky car park, deep throat style, Nick was at a crossroads – married just two years earlier and with a wife and 9-month-old baby to support. Options were limited but self-publishing was booming. Having hit on an idea for a UK gangland thriller taking place against the backdrop of the Rugby World Cup, in 2015 he produced Crossing The Whitewash.

The book was praised by many, received an honourable mention in the genre category of the Writers’ Digest self-published eBook awards and more than 25 five-star reviews on both sides of the pond.

Almost two years after Crossing The Whitewash came the second in the Boxer Boys series, a prequel called Spark Out, which was released in paperback on July 1 and for Kindle on July 10, 2017. The book received an award for best cover of 2017 with the Chill With A Book website, along with a readers award, before receiving the IndieBRAG medallion from a prestigious site covering Independent writers and publishers throughout the world.

The third book in the Boxer Boys series Dying Seconds, a sequel to Crossing the Whitewash, was released in December 2018.

Married to Liz, Nick is now a full-time back bench designer on the Daily Star sports desk and has two daughters – Jemma, 36, and Olivia, 8. A Bristolian at heart, he lives near Ilford, Essex. In the past he has worked for the Sunday Mirror, Wales on Sunday and Media Wales in Cardiff as an executive editor.