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Edge, a near-future thriller depicting a Britain whose corrupt government has legalised duelling and whose civic services are breaking down, is wrtten by John Meaney (as Thomas Blackthorne). Meaney explains:

'I've used the Blackthorne name because Edge and its sequel, Point, are thrillers for a wide audience (while perhaps too violent for some of my normal science-fiction readership).

Is it Andy McNab meets Gladiator, or Lee Child meets Death Race? Perhaps... it features Josh Cumberland, ex-special forces, searching London's mean streets for a runaway rich kid suffering from hoplophobia – a fear of weapons. Josh is also undergoing severe personal trauma.You can read Edge as a straightforward, if violent, thriller or as political satire. The idea came from a frightening statistic, which was this: in certain areas, overall crime has actually gone down while knife crime increased. Likewise, in US towns where gun ownership is mandatory – yes, that's right – there is practically no crime, and definitely no burglary. (In case there's a misunderstanding, I add in the Acknowledgments section that the only place for a knife is in the kitchen.) As for my depiction of a corrupt government in league with big business engaged in illegal activities abroad... well, that seems to have hit just the right timing.

The Guardian has lavished praise: "Cumberland leaps off the page... A masterclass in characterisation."

Edge is published by Angry Robot