I approached this book with caution, not being a fan of crime fiction or gangster stories. Yet it's one of the most original novels I've read in a long time. Briefly, the story chronicles a campaign by Rawhead, the deadliest murderer in the world, to wrestle power from a gang of Manchester criminals called the Priesthood. The Priesthood send a female assassin called the Spirit of Darkness to despatch him, but Rawhead develops an unexpected attachment to her, hence the book's title. Exciting and funny, with a plot that's impossible to predict.