Sequel to Wood’s debut crime novel, The Man on the Street, this can be read as a stand-alone but I’d recommend reading them in order to get the full impact. Once again ex-soldier Jimmy, homeless and on probation thanks to his Falklands War PTSD, and his dog Dog hold centre stage. This time he gets caught up with a ruthless gang of drug dealers and a batch of very dodgy spice when his friend Deano goes missing. Calling in a favour from a police officer he’d helped in his first foray into crime solving, Jimmy soon finds himself sent to Sunderland to identify the body of a young victim who matches Deano’s description. I hadn’t realised how much I’d got caught up in the lives of Jimmy, Deano and Gadge I the first book until that moment, I was devastated to think that Wood could have killed off this young addict even though statistically  life expectancy for boys like him is very low, a real heart in the mouth moment. 
This is a brilliant fast-paced crime novel, with believable characters empathetically portrayed and the added bonus that it’s set on the streets of Newcastle, my favourite city.  Can’t wait for the next one.!

One Way Street is the 2nd book from Trevor Wood featuring his homeless protagonist Jimmy Mullen, an ex Navy Officer who suffers from terrible PTSD.

This story set in Newcastle at Christmas Time finds Jimmy looking into the deaths of young drug users, when his close friend Deano, who has a drug problem goes missing. Fearing the worst, Jimmy soon discovers that there is a rogue batch of the awful ‘spice’ drugs on the street.

With the help of the returning Gadge and Dog, Jimmy is soon on the case as Trevor Wood brings to life his brilliantly created characters. 

This Gritty, Urban and authentic feeling mystery thriller is a real cracker.

Following on from Man on the Street was always going to be a difficult task and Trevor Wood has absolutely nailed it.

Tough, uncompromising, gripping and tenacious, this is a crime thriller that will pull you in to the cold, dark and harsh realties of Street Life.

With hints toward more in the series, I for one can’t wait for more from Jimmy, Deano, Gadge and Dog and Highly Recommend the thoroughly captivating, One Way Street.

4🔥🔥🔥🔥

Thanks to Quercus Books and Net Galley for the ARC

North-East England: Newcastle and Sunderland: a crime landscape usually frequented by Ann Cleeves and Vera but now there are some new kids on the block: Trevor Wood and Jimmy, oh, and I mustn't forget Dog. I rather think they've come to stay. I don't think Vera will mind.
Trevor Wood writes with great affection for his characters. It permeates every single page. The plot unfolds well and never lags for a moment.
J. Jefferson Farjeon wrote several novels in the 1930s using a homeless man, Ben, as his investigator. It is good to see Jimmy as a modern reincarnation. A timely, gritty novel by a writer we are going to hear a lot more from.

The second book from Trevor Wood returns to the streets of Newcastle with Jimmy, Dog and their band of friends and acquaintances. The first outing was a New Blood Pick for the Crime Writers Festival in Harrogate which unearths some true gems (think Jane Harper, Abir Mukherjee and Will Dean in recent years), which sets a bar that Trevor Wood is a superb talent. 

I was hugely looking forward to this book and it didn’t disappoint. Subjectively, I love reading about Newcastle ... events happening on streets I walked earlier the same day (with my own dog who appears to be less well behaved than Jimmy’s canine companion; Dog). 

The characters are superb. Each had issues but all are a pleasure to join again. The wider concerns of homelessness is smartly tackled and has led me to the website for the People’s Kitchen to see how to help. 

The plot took a little longer to get going this time around but was hugely enjoyable nonetheless. I’ll be eagerly hoping for a 3rd instalment. 

Thanks to Quercus and Netgalley for an advanced copy in consideration of an honest review.

This is Trevor Wood's sequel to his cracking debut, The Man on the Street, featuring ex-naval, PTSD suffering, homeless sleuth, Jimmy Mullen, aka Sherlock Homeless, based in Newcastle. Much like the second album, the second book often does not come easy, as the author himself admits, and this did not feel as fluent at the beginning, and it took some time for my interest to be fully engaged but eventually it all works out and becomes a immersive and absorbing read. This novel revolves around the young homeless lad, Deano, that Jimmy and Gudge have befriended. In a novel that goes back and forth in time, we learn of Deano's traumatic background and family, a mother that neglected him, his younger brother, Ashley, playing truant from school, getting into trouble and ending up spending time in a young offender's institution at HMP Northallerton, unable to find and reconnect with his mother and Ashley upon release, being exploited on the streets until he is rescued, but still reliant on drugs to get him through in daily life.

It is Christmas and Deano is nowhere to be found as Gudge and Jimmy look for him, it turns out he had discovered accidentally from Colin, the vicar from St Thomas's, that Ash, his brother, was in Sunderland. In Sunderland, Deano had met Ginger and had a bad experience with spice, a drug used by many young and homeless people. On the streets, your friendships are everything, and as Jimmy tries to help Deano find Ash, it transpires the worst has happened as Ash's body is recovered from a bin, he had died from hypothermia whilst under the influence of spice. It soon becomes clear that a number of deaths have occurred, the young victims under the influence of a bad batch of spice, although one young girl, Amy Pearson, is rescued from drowning, but in a coma in hospital. As a face from the past comes back to haunt Deano, Jimmy investigates what lays behind the deaths, facing dangers as his life falls apart, his relationship with Julie under sever strain and he is forced to leave his hostel.

Wood does a terrific job in describing just how hard, terrifying and life threatening being homeless is, the life saving and necessary work done by the charity and volunteers who run The Pit, providing food and other services for those in need. I appreciated the character development in Jimmy, still suffering dreadful nightmares, he is attending group therapy sessions for the traumatised, and how those there provide help and assistance, such as Mac with his skills in the martial arts. Jimmy gets help with the IT proficient Gudge, is building a close relationship with his social worker daughter, Kate, reconnects with his ex-wife, Bev, and seeks refuge with Carrie, the nurse he had helped previously. This is a great and engaging addition to the series, and I was delighted to see that Jimmy just might be setting up as a PI. Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.

One Way Street is the second title in Trevor Wood's Jimmy Mullen mystery series. This is a new series for me, and I'm very glad to have come across it.

Jimmy, the amateur investigator in the series is a veteran of the Faulklands War with PTSD who has been living on the streets. He's got his demons and hasn't completely overcome them, but he's learned a great deal since returning from combat, reconnected with his daughter, and made some troubled, if reliable friends, among the homeless community. When a bad batch of a designer drugs hits the streets, Jimmy feels driven to investigate. The case is complicated, and more dangerous than he'd anticipated.

The writing here is top-notch, with crisp dialogue, complex plotting, and well-developed characters. If you like a non-cozy mystery, you are going to enjoy this title. I'll be going back to purchase and read the first volume in this series. Then I'll just have to try to remain patient while waiting to see if Jimmy will be coming my way again.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes, The opinions are my own.

I haven't read the first book in this series so can say this works as a standalone read but I've added it to my TBR.
A clever concept with engaging characters, a good dose of humour and a relevant subject