New York

New York is one of John Swinfield’s favourite cities. He’s always admired its insomniac energy and insatiable drive. But it was a violent and dangerous place when he first visited, spiralling into a vortex of murder and narcotics. 

Financially it was on its knees, with City Hall at daggers drawn with the unyielding trade union boss Victor Gotbaum. Gotbaum controlled the thousands of essential workers who kept New York going and who – for a period – had it by its throat. 

While the city writhed in turmoil – Washington and Capitol Hill kept a steel-grip on the purse strings, refusing for an agonising period to bail out the city that had reached for the stars and was now on its knees.