From the Sunday Times bestselling author of the Lizzie Flowers series comes an emotional and gritty wartime saga. Originally published as Bella of Bow Street. Christmas Day, 1940, East London. It’s Christmas Day and eight-year-old Bella Doyle is cold, starving and struggling to survive. But she must stay strong for her younger brother Terry. Bella and Terry scavenge the bomb sites of the East End every day looking for food to satisfy their hunger. Their drunken mother is no help — even setting eyes on her children would be an aggravation to Mary Doyle. She neglects them in favour of her boyfriend, threatening them if they dare to come home while he’s there. When their mother’s boyfriend turns violent, Bella finds refuge with an older boy, Micky Bryant, the one light in Bella’s dark life. He looks out for her and the other street kids. As Bella matures, so does her relationship with Micky. When the war ends, they get married, and Bella helps Micky run his night club. But Micky descends into a life of crime and Bella finds herself out of her depth as she struggles to stay one step ahead of the law. When tragedy strikes, Bella must seize control of her life to finally escape the squalor and poverty of the East End. Shaping her own destiny will come at a price. Is Bella ready to take that risk?