Jay is fifteen years old and a member of the Blake Street Boyz gang. With a knife in his pocket and his best friend Milk by his side, he spends his time fiercely defending their turf. He takes his lessons from the streets and thinks he knows everything about choices. Choose the right gang, and they will protect you. Choose the right clothes, the right chat, the right snacks and you will be respected. But now he's coming of age and he's being given the chance to step up. He must stab and kill a member of a rival gang... and there are no choices left. This is a story set against the backdrop of London's inner-city tower blocks, where killing can be easier than choosing a chocolate bar; where gang violence rules, and where loyalty can cost you your soul.

 

There are 400 pages in this book. This book was published 2013 by Random House Children's Publishers UK .

John Lucas was born in Whitechapel, east London and raised in Hackney, where he continues to live. Trouble is an ebook short to accompany his debut novel TURF. Both stories are based John's experiences of growing up in Hackney - he has been a victim of and witness to multiple knife crimes. He is currently working on his second novel.