Manchester urban underworld swapped for rugged cliffs and sweeping coastal landscapes
Accidents Will Happen is a new departure for the Berwick writer Andrew J Field whose previous noir thrillers, All Down the Line and After the Bridge, were based in Manchester where he used to live and work. In Accidents, Rainy City’s congested urban underworld is replaced by Northumberland’s rugged cliffs and windswept coastal landscapes, although Field’s grim noir DNA runs throughout the gritty novel.
‘Settings, such as the rugged cliffs of Northumberland (Accidents Will Happen) or the urban decay of Manchester (All Down the Line and After the Bridge), are integral to my storytelling. These environments amplify the tension and reflect the emotional states of my characters, creating a sense of foreboding and isolation.’
‘I’ve only lived in Northumberland for six years, but I’ve noticed there is a unique sense of space, community, and resilience that I’ve tried to capture in Accidents Will Happen. The town is every bit as fascinating and glorious as Manchester was to me, but in very different ways.’
Accidents opens with a simple premise. Did a talented classical violist jump or slip off a cliff? An inquest delivers an accidental death verdict, but two friends believe Lisa Wright leapt and want somebody to blame other than themselves. Mike Nicholls, a scarred ex-marine, and Sally Palmer, a conflicted nurse, confront the dark secrets of abuse, manipulation, and the moral complexities of revenge as they seek answers.
‘The antithesis of plot-driven suspense and resolution thrillers, Accidents is my noir take on guilt, bereavement and injustice,’ says Field. ‘We like to think we’re in control of our destinies, but we’re not. Not even close. Everything can change in an instant, individually and collectively.’
‘Although my books are rooted in classic noir traditions, modern elements such as contemporary settings, social issues, and psychological realism are important to me personally and as a writer because my fiction inevitably mirrors real life to be relevant,’ says Field.
‘Stylish, witty and sharply defined. Accidents compressed tautness is just right for its length, barely a scene too long, the prose honed, intense and penetrating, with smart, attention-grabbing one liners,’ says the book’s editor, Martin Fletcher.
Accidents Will Happen is available in paperback (ISBN: 9781919164724), pocket paperback (ISBN: 9781919164717 )and hardback (ISBN: 9781919164700) from 5 December 2025.
