Another provocative, edgy and at times unbelievably sad story from the author of ‘The Tales of the Notorious Hudson Family’ series. Julie Shaw really has hit on a winner with her bold and girtty stories based on her family and neighbours. This time she focuses on 17 year old Christine, pregnant and about to give birth in Bradford in the early 1980’s. Josie, one of the main characters from ‘Our Vinnie’ makes a welcome reappearance, and it’s good to catch up with her again. I wonder how many more Hudson tales there are to come? If this is your first in the series, you can read it as a standalone, however I really do recommend starting with ‘Our Vinnie’. There was a painful inevitability to ‘Bad Blood’, at times difficult to comprehend and emotional, this really is eye-opening stuff and well worth reading.
It's 1971 and seventeen-year-old Christine is about to give birth to her son. When her family throw her out, Christine has the biggest fight of her life to bring up her son safe on the infamous Canterbury Estate in Bradford, rife with crime, alcohol and drugs, a place where family is everything and nothing. It's Friday evening on the Canterbury Estate in Bradford and Christine, who's been rushed to hospital by her friend, Josie, is on the maternity ward giving birth. She's 17 and terrified. Not just of the pain, which is ripping her in two, but because she knows that once the baby arrives, her family is never going to speak to her again. Her beautiful baby boy is about to start a chain of events that will lead to tragedy - and only her own family can save her.
My name is Julie Shaw, and my father, Keith, is the only surviving member of the 13 Hudson siblings, born to Annie and Reggie Hudson on the infamous Canterbury Estate in Bradford. We were and are a very close family, even though there were so many of us, and those of us who are left always will be.
I wanted to write these stories as a tribute to my parents and family. The stories are all based on the truth but, as I’m sure you’ll understand, I’ve had to disguise some identities and facts to protect the innocent. Those of you who still live on the Canterbury Estate will appreciate the folklore that we all grew up with: the stories of our predecessors, good and bad, and the names that can still strike fear or respect into our hearts – the stories of the Canterbury Warriors.
