Paul Smith, author of Nine Lives, spent many difficult years writing this dark and uncompromising novel spanning warzones, covert operations and Manchester’s criminal underworld. His writing reflects an undeniable understanding of the environments, loyalties and consequences explored throughout the story.Paul Smith is not the name he was born with. It is the name he chose when he decided the story mattered more than the man telling it.He does not offer the usual author biography, publicity photographs or carefully polished public persona. His identity remains private—and intentionally so.Nine Lives is his first novel: a story shaped by conflict, organised crime, loyalty, violence and the...