Street Duty: Knock Down

When a young girl is taken to hospital following a traffic accident, 16-year-old Trainee Police Officer (TPO) Holly is one of the first on the scene. As the girl, Ashleigh, lies unconscious in hospital, Holly finds herself puzzling over what happened to her. Why was Ashleigh running so fast that she didn't see the lorry coming? Why was she so scared? Why was she barefoot on a cold winter evening? Although Holly is new to her job, she is determined to find out the truth about Ashleigh's accident - whatever the consequences may be.

Fast-paced and action-packed, Street Duty: Knockdown is a gritty crime novel with a strong female protagonist in Holly. Containing explicit language and drawing on challenging and difficult themes, including gang culture, youth crime and sexual assualt, it is firmly aimed at young adult readers. Author Chris Ould is a BAFTA-winning screenwriter, and his experience writing for TV dramas such as The Bill and Casualty is very much evident in this pacy, energetic story about the fictional Trainee Police Officer scheme. But though his style may be punchy and direct, Ould's characters are never two-dimensional, but sidestep cliches. Thought-provoking and sometimes surprising, this is a novel that touches on a range of different contemporary teen issues and experiences.