Released after a long stretch at Parpham Mental Hospital, Royston Blake finds that the world has moved on. Even in Mangel. Gone are most of his old haunts, including Hoppers. In its place: a huge shopping mall, servicing the town's every consumer need. But not everyone is happy seeing the old ways swept aside, and the Old Guard - a mysterious opposition group well known on the letters page of the local paper - sets about recruiting Blake as its agent of retribution. Meanwhile Blake just wants to settle down with Sal, get to know the son he has never met, and do the right thing. King of the Road is the final volume in Charlie Williams' acclaimed Mangel trilogy. With his inimitable blend of satirical humour, slapstick action and rural noir, Williams has carved a unique niche in modern British crime fiction.