Charlie's father is dead and Charlie has to leave school to support himself and his mother. Squizzy Taylor, the notorious underworld criminal, employs Charlie as his runner. Charlie has a quick mind and can outrun any boy around, so he does well with Squizzy until things start to get too dangerous and Charlie's friend is hurt. Ages 13+.
It's 1919, Richmond football club is on top of the ladder, cream buns are threepence each and four boys are gunning for the best job in town. Charlie is lucky enough to win the prime job - running messages for Squizzy Taylor, the most dangerous gangster in Melbourne. But things start to get a little too hot for Charlie, so he decides to take the money and run ...
Robert Newton works as a full-time firefighter with the Metropolitan Fire Brigade. His first novel, My Name is Will Thompson, was published in 2001. Since then he has written six other novels for young people, including Runner, The Black Dog Gang and When We Were Two, which won the 2012 Prime Minister's Literary Award for Young Adult Fiction. He lives in Melbourne with his wife and three daughters.