An inevitable end

This is the terrifying opening line of Elizabeth George's new thriller. A gripping story about children who are threatened with being robbed of their future by their environment and family circumstances.
Toby is seven, Joel eleven and Ness fifteen when their grandmother dumps them on the doorstep of their aunt Kendra. Kendra Osborne, a beautiful woman of forty, has little to do with the shy Joel and the mentally handicapped Toby. Joel is a bullied loner at school, who dutifully takes care of his little brother. Their little sister Ness, on the other hand, descends further and further into a world of junkies, dealers and violence.
When Joel and Toby are beaten up one day, Joel seeks protection from an ex-boyfriend of Ness. But this criminal demands something in return and Joel takes a path that leads straight to a disastrous denouement.