Where there's muck, there's mettle… Dolly Tomkins has always known what it is to live hand to mouth. In the mean streets of a Salford struggling under the mantle of the Great Depression, the only one making a decent living is the talleyman. Though Nifty Jack has a money bag where his heart should be, Dolly's mam is in hock up to her ears and in dire need of assistance. But when Jack offers to wipe the slate clean, Dolly just can't bring herself to trust him. Instead, she takes him on at his own game and in the process endangers everything she holds most dear as a revelation about the past rocks the very foundations of her world. This is an enchanting story of love and endurance perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries and Kitty Neale.