Through it all, David retains his wry humour and offers a much-needed assessment of the state of UK prisons today, the job crisis and poor recruitment, the corruption and gangs running rife, and the mental health epidemic hitting prisoners, causing many to take their own lives.

Guiding us in episodic fashion through the various wings of Parkhurst prison, we witness the horrifying, disgusting and often hilarious life of a prison officer through David’s own eyes.

The post Inside Parkhurst: The Final Stretch appeared first on Robert Smith Literary agency.

How much do we really know about our parents’ lives? What secrets lie in plain sight? This is the true story of hidden love within a small circle of some of the most acclaimed anthropologists of the 20th century.

Told by Rosemary and Raymond Firth’s son, and the daughter of Celia and Edmund Leach, the man Rosemary loved all her life, this part love-story, part biography, part social history is the story of a highly influential circle of social anthropologists in Britain from the 1930s, through the Second World War, to the end of the century.

The book explores their early influences, their insecurities, their flaws, struggles and achievements. It is a story of passion and commitment, but also of deceit and betrayal, including the inexplicable disappearance, death and alleged murder of a very close friend. It also narrates Rosemary’s struggles for emotional and intellectual independence in the face of societal expectations of women and her own guilt, loss and self-doubt.

The post Love, Loyalty and Deceit: Rosemary Firth, a Life in the Shadow of Two Eminent Men appeared first on Robert Smith Literary agency.

This is a story of physical bravery, moral courage, and the power of redemption from the man who led the charge in stopping the terrorist attack at Fishmongers’ Hall in November 2019.

From cell fires to violent feuds and gang battles on prison wings, after being sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, what Steve witnessed at HMP Frankland made him change his life forever. After losing everything, he vowed to never use violence again.

In November 2019, Steve’s redemptive journey led him to a Learning Together event at Fishmongers’ Hall, hosted by his mentor, Jack Merritt, and attended by Saskia Jones. It was here, on his first day out of prison on day release, that Steve was forced to break his vow as he bravely confronted and fought armed-terrorist Usman Khan on London Bridge. Armed just with a narwhal tusk, Steve wrestled and held Khan to the ground while he waited for the police to arrive.

In October 2020 Steve was granted a royal prerogative of mercy in recognition of his actions at London Bridge. In August 2021 he was released from prison.

The post The Road to London Bridge: How I went from a life of violence to stopping the terror attack at Fishmongers’ Hall appeared first on Robert Smith Literary agency.

Over more than twenty years working as a plumber, Nick has shared thousands of mugs of tea with hundreds of fascinating people. Here he gives his plumber’s-eye view of society in a series of entertaining, amusing and outrageous beneath-the-kitchen-sink dramas.

While fixing pipes, Nick was also looking for characters to write about. In his toolbox, in addition to spanners, he had a notebook, which wasn’t just for jotting down measurements. And ‘the secret plumber’ has some great stories to tell, about people who might just be your friends, family or neighbours.

There’s the frankly terrifying high-court judge, whose wife calls the shots; the divorcing woman, using him to help her build a rather bizarre botox business; and all the wonderful people he meets when his number is posted on Grindr as an LGBTQ+-friendly plumber.

This book is Tales of the Unexpected – in overalls. It shows London as it really is: one of the most diverse places on the planet, ranging from downright dangerous to preposterously posh. To Nick, London is a melting pot, filled with an extraordinary variety of fascinating people, who have one thing in common – they all need a plumber!

The post Pipe Dreams: Secret Diaries of a Neighbourhood Plumber appeared first on Robert Smith Literary agency.

Sheltered and naïve Carmen Darby has lived under the thumb of her father Rex, a brutal criminal businessman, her whole life. But when Rex announces his retirement and plans to leave his vast wealth to his three daughters, Carmen doesn’t thank her father as effusively as he’d like, enraging him. Cast out from her home, Carmen assumes a new identity and starts her life over, but she knows she can’t outrun the sins of her family for ever…

Meanwhile her sisters, disappointed by the terms of their inheritance, formulate a vicious plan to get their money in full. They’ll kill whoever stands in their way, even their own father. But they aren’t the only ones who’d love to see Rex dead. Surrounded by backstabbers and treating his allies like dirt, it’s only a matter of time before someone snaps…

And when they do, is Carmen perfectly set up to take the fall?

The post Cheated appeared first on Robert Smith Literary agency.