Reading a book on the tube can add so much atmosphere, and I'm halfway through Skinheads whilst heading back from Uxbridge and listening to reggae on my i-pod. Both location and music feature heavily in John King's latest novel, adding authentic flavour as he describes the sights, sounds and smells which surround his characters. In particular, he chooses three generations of the same family to explore the world of the skinhead.

Terry English is approaching his 50th birthday, and is the boss of his successful mini cab firm, Estuary Cars in Slough. Whilst he still misses his beloved wife, April, he also keeps his passion for ska records alive. His nephew, Nutty Ray, is one of his drivers, who's more of a street punk and active football hooligan, harbouring a pent up anger that finds its outlet through bursts of violence. Terry's teenage son, Lol, is trying to find his own identity in an environment influenced by his own upbringing whilst pursuing dreams of having his own band.

Despite its title, John King's Skinheads is a considered exploration of an aspect of London's working class culture which has been lionised in the past and also is diluting in the present. He builds his characters into fully rounded believable people with often complex personalities. They can be sensitive and caring but equally prone to bigoted or racist opinions and actions. Terry has earned respect for building up his own business and remembering his skinhead roots by enforcing the dress code with no room for hoodies. But he's also a lost soul since the death of his wife, April, never letting go of her beloved memory, but also refurbishing the abandoned Union Jack social club as meeting points for his mates.

Ray on the other hand, takes out his anger on those who show no respect such as city boys with their arrogant, vulgar display of wealth or Asian drug peddlers who show no qualms about peddling ecstasy to his daughter, actions that some people could conveniently interpret as racist. But he's also wrestling with the strong feelings for his estranged wife, frustrations that find release in aggressive behaviour. It's the moral complexity of these emotions that energise the book with an invigorating lifeblood that pumps through its pages, even if they are splashed with blood, spit and thuggish violence.

As a result, King brings up issues of nationality and identity - the pride of tradition and respect too. The flashbacks to Terry's formative years in the 1960s or indeed Ray's upbringing during the Thatcher's Britain and the Falklands add additional authenticity. But more significantly, there's an tangible feel to the geographical settings of Slough, Uxbridge, and Ealing, as well as an authentic taste of curry houses, the roar of football terraces and especially Chelsea supporters, and the sounds of reggae/ ska bands.

All these act as a social and cultural commentary to the events alongside liberal splashings of brand names such as Fred Perry, Ben Sherman, Doc Martens and the heady brew of London Pride. These all suggest the environment in which they have lived for forty year or more and which has shaped their views and experiences, a feature of most of his other novels such as The Football Factory and England Away.

King adds flesh and bone to his skinheads with an authentic ear for the nonce language too. He doesn't just feed our stereotypical prejudices even though these are people who hold onto certain values. Their patriotism is not a vision of purity but more a respect for tradition, and that's accentuated in naming his lead character Terry English and his desire to keep the Union Jack club going. Skinheads is a beautifully crafted tribute to a particular way of life, told with affection, sprinkled with humour, and edged with poignancy, but without resort to sensationalism. John King is the undisputed monarch of chroniclers of contemporary London life.