Barry Mullins isn’t the sharpest tool in the box. But he has a particular talent - he knows how to fight. A successful career in the ring seems assured but those around him try to take advantage, and when greed, jealousy and ambition conspire, Barry gets backed into a corner. Can he battle his way out? Or will he get dragged down? Fame and celebrity are king, but there can only be one winner, and for those who succeed there are thousands of others with unrecognised talent who fall by the wayside. Boxed In helps us understand their story and gives us clues as to why the promise of youth so often fades. 'In Barry, author N.E.David has created a hero for the age of uncertainty. A book that shines fresh light on our times.' Peter Bartram, author of the Colin Crampton series

N.E.David is the pen name of York author Nick David. Nick tried writing at the age of 21 but like so many things in life, it did not work out first time around. After a rewarding career in industry and then personal finance, he took it up again in 2005 and had initial success with a series of short novellas. His debut novel, BIRDS OF THE NILE, was published by Roundfire Books in 2013 and quickly became their top-selling title in adult fiction. A second novel, THE BURDEN, soon followed. A third, MALAREN, has now been released and was entered for the Man Booker prize of 2017.

Nick writes character-based contemporary fiction where he focuses on stories of human interest and drama. He’s fascinated by human behaviour and his work attempts to answer the question Why do we act as we do? He maintains he has no overt personal or political message to convey but his initial objective is to entertain the reader and he hopes this is reflected in his writing.

Besides being a regular contributor to literary events in the North East Region, Nick is a founder member of York Authors and formerly co-presented Book Talk on BBC Radio York. He is currently Chairman of the York Literature Festival and enjoys contributing to the literary life of the city.