Showing results by author "Heather Burnside" in All Categories

When respected journalist Maddy goes to interview prostitutes in a rundown Manchester pub, she doesn't reckon on attracting the attention of their ruthless pimp, Gilly. He quickly decides to use Maddy for his own gains; he just needs to work out how. In the weeks that follow, Maddy is oblivious to Gilly's growing obsession with her, particularly when she begins a romance with successful businessman Aaron. Their passionate love affair starts to dominate her life, and she finds herself losing control and alienating the people around her. As Maddy's safe and successful life starts to crumble around her.

Peter and Adele Robinson were dragged up by an alcoholic, violent father and a beaten mother, their childhood in Manchester preparing them only for a life of crime. Adele studies hard and makes a success of her life whilst Peter immerses himself in the murky underworld of crime, and their once close bond breaks. However, when Adele is in danger, there's only one person she can turn to...her brother.

Hannah Conway overhears a lot while working behind the bar of a nightclub – friendly gossip, lovers quarrels, bad business deals – but nothing that usually involves anyone she cares about. Until she hears Jez Reilly, a corrupt businessman who runs the club, talking about the street her grandma lives on. Jez wants to buy the land for a new luxury development, and most of the residents and businesses have already agreed to sell up. But for those who refuse, something sinister is in store.

When Crystal's pimp, protector and former lover, Gilly, dies of a drugs overdose, Crystal is bereft. She refuses the paid protection of a rival pimp, determined to go it alone. But a vicious beating from a client leaves her feeling vulnerable and angry. Meanwhile, Crystal's daughter, Candice, is asking difficult questions about her job. Crystal decides it's time to make some changes, and when a high-profile judge offers her payment to keep schtum about his nefarious activities, it gives her an idea. Perhaps other clients will also pay for her silence.

Laura Sharples has worked hard for every penny she's earned, and is now a successful businesswoman who runs a handful of designer fashion boutiques. But it wasn't so long ago that she called herself Crystal and worked the streets of Manchester. Though she's put her past firmly behind her, she's never forgotten what it took to beat her addictions and raise her daughter, Candice, to expect better.

When Adele's brother, Peter, gets banged up for GBH, she reluctantly agrees to run his nightclub, The Golden Bell. Strong opposition from Peter's thuggish number two, Glynn, who isn't best pleased about answering to a woman, isn't the only challenge she faces. The Manchester club scene of the 1990s is a dangerous place, at the mercy of illicit protection rackets and rampaging gangs, and, despite Adele's efforts to keep everything legal, the club is beginning to feel like a poisoned chalice.

Ruby has always been strong. Growing up with a feeble mother and an absent father, she is forced to fight the battles of her younger siblings. And when a childhood experience leaves her traumatised, her distrust of men turns to hatred. With no safe place to call home, Ruby is desperate to fit in with the tough crowd. She spends her teenage years sleeping around and drinking in the park and by the time she is 16, prostitution has become a way of life. But Ruby has ambitions, and she soon moves up the ladder to become the madam of her own brothel.

Adele Robinson is locked up - convicted for the murder of her abusive father. She quickly realises that she'll have to play it tough if she's going to survive and soon gains a reputation for standing her ground. Meanwhile, her brother Peter is building his criminal empire on the outside - running protection rackets, seedy nightclubs and all manner of schemes to make a fast buck. He soon comes to the attention of not only the police but also Manchester's rival gangs, and a turf war breaks out. And when things start to get bloody, only Adele can step in to protect the family business.

Beth is walking her dog in a secluded wooded area around Manchester, when she's viciously attacked. After fighting the man off, she gets away with her life, but is left with a horrifying secret. As Beth moves on from her trauma with new husband Brady, she seems a happy, successful career girl. But he senses she is harbouring something dark... And when the truth is finally revealed, Brady blackmails Beth into bankruptcy.

Sophie and Kelsey have always had each other. When their mum is diagnosed with cancer and their dad fails to step up, they're forced to move into the care system. But Sophie knows they'll be okay as long as she's there to protect her sister. But when Kelsey is found a foster family and Sophie can't join her, Sophie's left in an unsafe situation in the home, forced to do things against her will. Finding her own foster family feels like a relief, but it's short lived when her trust in her new foster parents is betrayed. With nowhere to turn, Sophie finds herself homeless.

Five years after the traumatic events witnessed by Rita and Yansis in Manchester, the couple finally agree to return with their young son, Daniel, to attend her brother John's wedding to the beautiful Paula. But memories are long on the Riverhill Estate, and when Daniel goes missing, Rita realises she has many enemies with a motive for taking her child. Once more she faces a race against the clock to unmask the perpetrators, but this time she has help in the shape of her Special Task Force brother, John.

When Julie Quinley wakes up after a night out with friends to find herself accused of murder, it proves to be only the beginning of her worst nightmare. Released by the police due to lack of evidence, Julie nevertheless faces the taunts and hostility of colleagues, as more and more people – including members of her own family – seem convinced she is a cold-hearted killer. Just when it seems as if all hope has gone, and Julie's mental state reaches rock bottom, her friend Vinny announces a breakthrough; something he has witnessed that could prove Julie's innocence once and for all.

With a mother unfit for purpose and a brother who despises her, working girl Amber can rely on no one but herself - until the meanest pimp in Manchester, Kev Pike, offers her his protection. Unfortunately, this attracts the fury of Cora, a prostitute no one wants to get on the wrong side of. When Cora is found strangled to death, the late-night city streets feel increasingly exposed with a killer on the loose. As Amber grows closer to Kev, she realises his security comes at a price she might not be willing to pay. Amber is frozen in fear, knowing one wrong move will risk her life.

Growing up in one of Manchester's roughest council estates Mark (Macca) McNeil's life seems already written for him until joining forces with rough boy Todd Brown to form a gang offers him a way out. He is finally changing his life but then, there is Joanne… She is more than a fling and although they come from the same estate, but she is heading places. She loves his lavish gifts and the life he is promising her, but she doesn't want to see what Macca is capable of.

It's 1991, and Rita is looking forward to her return to Manchester after a few years in Greece with her husband Yansis. But once back she finds a cuckoo in the family nest – a dope-smoking 'businessman' called Leroy. Worse, he is her sister Jenny's boyfriend, and father of her unborn child. Rita and Yansis retreat to stay with friends Julie and Vinny, now living in a comfortable suburb of the city. But Rita is anxious to find out just what hold Leroy has over her family, and she'll stop at nothing to find out.

Heather Burnside and Sean Roberts drive you home with the best in sports, weekdays 3pm-6pm on 106.3 KXnO!

A BurnsideHQ Production! The Secondhand Seminary podcast is hosted by Heather and Glenn Burnside, chronicling her experiences and learning as she pursues her graduate degree at Southern Seminary.