Trust nobody - June Hampson

It is 1962 and Daisy Lane, whose husband Kenny is in jail for robbery, runs and lives over the family's cafe in Gosport with Kenny's older brother Eddie. Daisy looks out for pretty 16-year-old Suze, raped by her stepdad, terrified of sex and a magnet for predatory men. Also sharing the house is Daisy's friend Vera, a prostitute who boards with her cat Kibbles, a male she can always rely on - not that Vera is anyone's fool. The three women share a strong, mutually protective bond.

The Lane brothers were both abused by their father, but Eddie took the brunt of the beatings. He has grown into a handsome, resourceful villain with a streak of viciousness that leads him to commit acts of terrifying violence to get his way - and his way includes organised prostitution and protection rackets. Daisy prefers not to know the details of Eddie's 'business' dealings.

But hardman Eddie has an Achilles heel - Daisy. He loves his brother Kenny but he worships his brother's wife. She resists him. In jail, Kenny becomes the victim of a sadistic homosexual. His psyche begins to crack and he takes it out on Daisy when she visits. Inevitably this drives her towards Eddie's open arms. Then Eddie overreaches and pulls a racket too far, venturing on the patch of a villain who is even harder and more territorial than he is ...