Only towards the end, in the excellent courtroom scenes, does he really begin to open up to us. His world view is bleak, and he's an unusual character for teen fiction, being so difficult to sympathise with.

His eventual conclusion is both surprising and disturbing. Without any solid friendships, with weak and stupid parents, Moo has only himself to turn to. If Moo changes his statement and lies for the police, then Vine's heavies are sure to pay him a visit but if he sticks to the truth of what he saw, a vicious criminal walks free and DI Callan will stop turning a blind eye to his father's petty frauds. Moo is forced into an invidious position as the bullying mounts from both sides - with the adults much worse than the kids. It soon becomes apparent that the whole incident was an elaborate police sting to frame him, with the police so desperate to get their man that DI Callan first cajoles and then threatens Moo into changing his statement to claim that he did see a knife in Vine's hand. The driver accused of the murder is a notorious local gangster, Keith Vine. The fact that he never actually saw the knife becomes the narrative thrust of the book. Or rather, he sees the drivers scuffle and is later informed of the killing by the police. From this vantage point one evening he sees an outburst of road rage that escalates into murder. Maybe it's the only place where he gets the feeling he's above anyone. His favourite place to shelter from the rain is a footbridge over the busy A12, watching the constant flow of traffic below. His only way to deal with it is to 'umbrellarise' it. Moo - real name Mike Nelson - earned his nickname thanks to the fact that he weighs 17 stone and spends his schooldays trying to ignore the abuse and the bullying: the rain. In those places where the plot slackens, it's Moo's voice that keeps up the tension. Although this can sometimes grate, as a device it works well.

Kissing the rain kevin brooks