HERE is the eighth in the D. S. McAvoy series of novels written by the Northumberland-based writer, who spent his years as a crime reporter walking the streets of Hull, and it is set in the tightknit fishing community of Hessle Road in that city. Hull and Iceland have traditionally been linked by fishing, and in this case they are connected by a secret concealed for half a century, and a series of brutal killings that have never been connected.

THIS pictorial history of Durham city revisits the 1960s, 70s and 80s – all decades of great change. A new through road involving the building of new bridges was finally started after years of discussions. Building projects included a new County Hall, Milburngate Shopping Centre, and Ove Arup’s concrete Dunelm House and Kingsgate Bridge.

OFTEN portrayed as the poor relative of its Tyneside neighbour, Newcastle, Gateshead has a long and proud industrial and social history. In recent years there has been a revival in the town’s social and cultural infrastructure and a growing interest in the rich Victorian architecture that has shaped the town. Here is an exploration of these architectural treasures, from the fairy-tale Saltwell Tower to the Baltic Arts Centre.