Description
In the gritty streets of Coxthorpe, a forgotten English mill town where minarets pierce the skyline and old resentments simmer, a lonely warehouse worker named Adam stumbles into a cultural firestorm. The ancient Rush Bearing festival – a procession involving morris dancers, maidens, and a crusader knight – has been revived, sparking hope and igniting outrage across this deeply divided town.
Curious about the sources of the controversy, Adam launches an online video channel, The Haxton Review, to document the clash of identities and traditions it has laid bare. As he delves deeper, alliances fracture, secrets unravel, and the hidden contours of power become – briefly, terribly – visible.
Blending sharp social commentary and raw personal confession, Joshua Knapp’s debut novel is a tense, timely thriller set against the soft totalitarianism of contemporary Britain.
Joshua Knapp is a writer in northern England.
![Painting of two women and a man sitting by a country road with leafless trees and a cloudy sky.](https://verdur.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Hard-Times-Hubert-von-Herkomer-1849–1914-768x595.jpg")
