Shiver #AllieReynolds #Shiver

By Allie Reynolds https://allie-reynolds.com/

Published by Headline Publishing Group https://www.headline.co.uk/

432 pages ISBN 9781472270245

My copy is an uncorrected proof copy.

The TV rights to Shiver have been taken up and a drama series is expected to be based on it.

From the blurb

Who is guilty and who is innocent?

Synopsis

Five friends are reunited at the resort in the French Alps where they were snowboarding ten years ago.  Saskia has not been seen in those ten years, and even though her credit card was used after the day she went missing, has been declared dead.  Is she dead or alive, and what happened to her partner Odette after her life changing accident?

The friends become cut off at the deserted lodge high up on the mountain and the secrets of the past are determined to be revealed.

My thoughts

Sport is hard to portray convincingly in the Arts.  In film boxing and baseball seem to fare best of all, probably because the staged action can look good, whereas football comes out dreadful.  Escape to Victory is remembered fondly but the football scenes were shocking.  In novels sport fares little better, Philip Kerr had a reasonable stab at football and Dick Francis was probably the most commercially successful, but his better works tended to be the ones where horse racing was incidental rather than central to the plot.  For me David Storey’s This Sporting Life remains the gold standard of sport in literature, but even then, it could be argued its not the central theme.

They always say start by writing about what you know (being an accountant this explains why I have yet to pen a novel!)  The author, Allie Reynolds, is a former freestyle snowboarder and so this a central theme to her debut novel.  Five friends are training for the UK Snowboarding championship ten years ago is the catalyst for a thriller taking place ten years later.  I imagine this world to be an obsessive one just like surfing or skydiving where it takes over the lives of competitors, so a difficult subject to bring entertainingly to the page.

The plot is a variation of the Country House Mystery, the twist being it is set in a deserted lodge high up in snow covered mountains with the characters being cut off from the outside world.  In a classic telling some of these would be ‘bumped off’ by accident or murder to keep the reader guessing.  With only five main characters this was not really an option and so the writer was relying on the interactions between them to keep the suspense running.

After three chapters to get the plot moving, the development is through alternate chapters set in the present and ten years ago as told by Milla in the first person.  Throughout, it is clear that Milla has a secret, which is revealed at the end, which means there is some uncertainty as to what happened throughout the story.  Is there actually a killer and if there is which one of the five is it, could it even be Milla?

I’ve never tried winter sports, so the description of the snowboarding action was outside my experience and for me there was a little too much of it.  Some of it was clearly vital to the plot but at times the novel felt overlong and in need of a bit of pruning.  There is much interaction between the characters who I found to be unsympathetic and hard to relate to, though this could just be an accurate portrayal of very driven competitive snowboarders.  The finale was well worked out and the final 70-80 pages built up a sense of urgency after a period when not a great deal happened.

An enjoyable competently produced debut novel if a little over long.  I will certainly look for Allie’s future works which hopefully have less snow in them for me to be interested.

If you are going for a winter holiday on the snow this could be the book to put in your case. 

Bloody January

By Alan Parks https://www.alanparks.co.uk/books

Published by Canongate https://canongate.co.uk/

321 pages ISBN 9781786891365

I borrowed my copy from Hull Central Library using their ‘click and collect’ service which is operating during the Covid 19 lockdown.  Many thanks to them for keeping the service going and remember folks support your local library.

From the blurb

When Detective Harry McCoy arrives at the scene of a double shooting in the middle of a busy Glasgow street, he is sure of one thing.

This was not a random act of violence…

Synopsis

Detective Harry McCoy is warned that a young woman is in danger, but before he can speak to her, she is murdered in front of his eyes by an eighteen-year-old man who turns the gun on himself.  Along with his rookie partner, Wattie, McCoy pursues leads into the grim underbelly of 1970s Glasgow. 

The case puts him up against Glasgow’s wealthiest citizens, the Dunlop’s, and their coterie of friends whose twisted desires are fulfilled at the expense of society’s most vulnerable.   They have the power and influence to derail the investigation, but McCoy can enlist the help of his old school friend and protector Stevie Cooper.  However, Cooper is a big underworld figure supplying, drugs, prostitutes, and loan sharking, so McCoy must tread carefully…

My thoughts

This is another author that I came across through my preparation for the Hull Noir 2021 festival and I’m glad that I have discovered him.  Readers should keep an open mind and writers please keep doing these events.

Alan Parks was on the ‘Get Carter and Beyond’ panel along with the organisers Nick Quantrill and Nick Triplow, with Ali Harper as the moderator.  This was the ideal panel as his writing is firmly in the Noir genre of crime.  A video of the panel can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAqp_MI5wSk

Scotland is currently producing some fantastic crime writers.  I’m not sure if it is down to their dour pessimism and black humour, which to a degree is replicated in the industrial areas of the North of England, or the aesthetic of the setting, from bleak housing schemes to historical Edinburgh.  It also helps having a vocabulary of local language to pepper the dialogue.

The setting of Glasgow in January 1973 works well for the novel, it allows the detectives licence to free wheel but doesn’t got too ‘Life on Mars’ and push the credibility.  This was a period of great change in Britain; slums were being tore down often only to be replaced with something worse, corruption that came with the post war boom was being uncovered (in particular with local authorities and the building redevelopments) and the hedonism of the ‘free love’ of the 1960’s was coming at a heavy price.  A perfect backdrop for the novel which is fully utilised.  The trip to Paddy’s Market under the railway arches by the Clyde is great example, grim and grimy where those who have nothing try to sell things that no one wants, and ‘Dirty Ally’ Jeffries is at the back with his stall of well -thumbed porn magazines will make you want to take a shower.

The plot is straightforward and doesn’t run off at too many tangents, which allows room for characters to be developed and some great minor character cameos without the book becoming too long.  The cultural references of the time add to the story rather than bogging it down.  Alan worked in the music business so the music refences are understandable and working David Bowie into any tale can’t be bad.  The down and outs and dispossessed drink Red Biddy (red wine and methylated spirits) not super strong lager or white cider like their modern counterparts.  There is much drinking (Tennents and whisky of course) and smoking of cigarette brands no longer readily available.

McCoy we are led to believe is a good man at heart who is struggling to avoid becoming a bad man and getting out of control.  He is liked by the downtrodden and is described as ‘King of the Jakies’ (no spoiler as to why) and he is in love with a prostitute, Janey who he is trying to protect, though he only sees it as a bit of fun.

The relationship between McCoy and Cooper is an interesting one.  It is easy to imagine that necessary bonds must be made to survive the system, be it children’s homes, borstal, or reform school.  That it survives into adulthood across the policing divide adds to the story and would be more difficult in a modern setting.  Clearly this relationship is something to be played out as the series develops.

A great read and a series I intend to follow up on.

365: The World’s Greatest Football Grounds #365TheWorldsGreatestFootballGrounds

By various contributors including Sjjoerrd Mossou, John Brewin, David Winner, David Shields, Grace Stufkosky, Leon Gladwell, Reinaldo Coddou H and Michel Van Egmond

Published by Pitch Publishing www.pitchpublishing.co.uk on behalf of Santos Magazine.

478 pages ISBN 9781785318383

I purchased my copy by pre-order through Amazon.

Synopsis

An extensive collection of photographs of football grounds around the world covering; the biggest to the smallest of stadiums, the newest to oldest, those in a beautiful setting through to those in a brutalist landscape.  Every continent where the beautiful game is played is covered and the culture of the fans spread across the globe is represented.

What text there is comprises four essays on those grounds the contributors consider to be significant or special in some way.  These are, La Bombonera (Buenos Aires), Craven Cottage (London), Olympiastadion (Berlin) and De Kuip (Rotterdam).

My thoughts

This is the result of a collaboration between Santos Magazine, based in The Netherlands, and UK sports publisher Pitch Publishing.  I was not aware of Santos Magazine before and purchased the book on the strength of pre-publicity via Twitter and have not been disappointed.

The book is a slightly unusual size, being eight inches square, but it works well with the subject matter and wide shots are covered by using a two-page spread.  The paper stock is a thickness to give a feeling of quality even though there are so many pages within it.  The print finish for the photographs is matt and the reproduction quality is excellent.  Each ground photographed is noted in a print bar down the side of the page along with the country it is located, the teams that play there and the ground capacity.  This is nicely done so as not to detract from the impact of the shot but did leave me with a pain in the neck from trying to read them without rotating the book!

The essays are well written and help to give the reader get a feel for the stadium, the emotions of the fans within and the reasons they stand out to the authors.  On a personal level I would have liked a few more essays but that would have moved the book away from what it is intended to be.

Interestingly there was no real set criteria for inclusion of stadiums in the book, there was no poll of fans or minimum requirements to be met.  No doubt this will frustrate some people, but that methodology weeds out big club bias.  As it says in the preface “Sometimes the beauty of the phot won, sometimes the geographical place, sometimes the name or history of the ground.”  Overall, this works to produce a great spread and whilst I might take issue with Blundell Park in Grimsby being included (I am from Hull) even I can appreciate the quality of the photo.

There is also no specific order to book.  There are no groupings or catagorisation, it is as if a selection of photos has been tossed into the air and then gathered up.  No doubt this will frustrate the ‘list tickers’ and those who crave order, but the joy of the book is that each turn of the page is a surprise and leads to interesting juxtapositions.

The one thing that did frustrate me a little was the general lack of page numbers and an index at the back.  It does not detract from the pleasure to be had from the book, just that referring back to find a ground requires you to flick the pages.  Perhaps there is a bit of psychology at play here in that the book will be well thumbed and each time a couple of minutes will turn into half an hour.  I can imagine many a lost afternoon compiling grounds to go to next season and the reader’s ultimate ‘when I win the lottery’ bucket list.

This book is a lovely distraction from the Covid lockdown, which is hopefully coming to an end soon, to cheer us up for the season to come and getting back into grounds.  I’m sure many of us will not take for granted the pleasure to be had from going to a game be it your home ground or a visit away.

Stasi 77

By David Young

Published by Bonnier Zaffre

384 pages ISBN 9781785767142

I borrowed my copy from Hull Central Library using their ‘click and collect’ service which is operating during the Covid 19 lockdown.  Many thanks to them for keeping the service going and remember folks support your local library.

From the blurb

A man is found murdered in a state fabric mill and former concentration camp, trapped and bound as a fire rages.  But who is he, and why was he targeted?

Synopsis

Major Karin Müller of the Serious Crimes Department of the People’s Police is on holiday in Bulgaria with her twins and grandmother.  Her relaxation is curtailed when she is called back to investigate a suspicious death and it quickly becomes apparent that this death and others are not accidents or suicide but murder.  

Her progress is hampered by the Ministry of State Security, the Stasi, at every step they seem to be working against her rather than uncovering the truth.  Her assistant Hauptmann Werner Tilsner, who she has long suspected of having connections with the Stasi, is being unhelpful and doing all he can to get off the case; can she trust him?  Even Kriminaltechniker Jonas Schmidt, who she has helped on a personal level in the past, is caught giving her fabricated results.

After being repeatedly warned off the case Müller uses her remaining vacation time to follow up leads without backup and uncovers dark secrets from East Germany’s past and the final days of World War II.  She is determined to air these secrets and the war crimes at their heart, but will it cost her her family?  In the end she must confront her sometimes saviour other times nemesis Klaus Jäger of the Stasi.

My thoughts

This is the fourth book in a series of six to date.  I read the first shortly after publication and enjoyed it immensely.  At this time, we were starting a football fanzine for North Ferriby United, a local non-league side and David, a fellow Hull City sufferer, agreed to help with a piece on Stasi Child for it as there is a historic football match as a key part of the plot.  As can be seen I have fallen a little behind but books 5 and 6 are on my Kindle for later this year.

As with the previous stories much of the book’s strength is down to the setting, with mid 70s East Germany coming out as an exotic location in the sense of it being unknown.  We knew life in the East wasn’t as good as in the West, but we never really knew just how grim and brutalist it was until The Wall came down.  The reader is given a real flavour of this life, but it not overdone as it is written from the perspective of someone from the East.  Also, you start to get and understanding of the influence and far-reaching power of the Stasi; informants were seemingly everywhere, and the State apparatus could imprison you or make you disappear if the wished, there was no due process. 

The plot runs on two strands, the 1977 criminal investigation and the final weeks of April 1945 which culminate in war crimes.  This structure works well and allows the story to move towards a conclusion where the strands are tied together, although the answer may not be the one the reader was expecting.  The war crimes element is sensitively covered, is based upon factual incidents which have been carefully researched and credibly used within the plot.

The importance of family to the main character, who went through the state orphanage system, is clear and is being well developed within each book, be it through the tracing of her parents and grandparents or the care of her young twins.  This changing dynamic helps to elevate the writing above a straightforward what happens next plot and allows more of East German life to be exposed. Setting the books in historical ‘real time’ (i.e., roughly 1974, 75, 76 and now 77) allows these relationships to develop properly and for progression of the characters.  It can of course be self-limiting in the length of the series, unless you have a character too good to ‘kill off’ like John Rebus who can retire, come back to review cold cases, retire again and still insert himself in cases.  I know there are two more books in the series and Karin Müller is still young enough to have a few more cases (fingers crossed) after all if Putin can rise from KGB to President who knows what is in store.

An interesting and enjoyable read with two more to look forward to.

Slough House #MickHerron #SloughHouse

By Mick Herron www.mickherronbooks.com

Published by John Murray Press www.johnmurraypress.co.uk

320 pages ISBN 1529378648

Audiobook narrator Sean Barrett

The Slough House series of books is being adapted for television (Apple TV+) with Gary Oldman cast as Jackson Lamb.

I purchased my copy from Audible.

Synopsis

On the streets a populist movement is gaining traction and fomenting tension; trouble is brewing, and the world is becoming an uncomfortable place for those deemed surplus to requirements.

The Russian Secret Service (GRU) carries out an incompetent operation on UK soil using novichok which leads to the death of a British Citizen.  First Desk of the British service, Diana Taverner, decides to strike back with an off the books assassination operation which is privately funded thanks to the machinations of former politician Peter Judd.

The records of Slough House have been wiped from the Service computer, seemingly to allow for the Park’s notice spies to get some tradecraft practice without them realising they were using their own side.  

The GRU’s murder squad are far from happy and a team is sent to extract revenge for the hit, but there is no British equivalent for them to strike against.  Then former Slow Horses (Slough House staff) turn up dead.  Could it be that Jackson Lamb’s crew are being targeted?  If the records have been wiped who do they know to target?

My thoughts

It was thought that the golden age of the spy novel had gone with the falling of the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie must be mentioned dozens of thrillers from the 60’s to the 90’s.  Without the claustrophobia and paranoia provoked by the cold war it is difficult to get the tension onto the page.  For me even masters of the genre like John Le Carre have struggled to match the impact of earlier works.  Mick Herron skilfully works around this by basing the activity in the UK, centring on Slough House where the service’s misfits and screw-ups end their career.  It’s not so much as a job but a punishment posting where hopefully demoralisation will lead to them leaving with little fuss.  Demoraliser in chief is a former active spook, who saw service behind the wall and now has the job of keeping them in line, Jackson Lamb.

Lamb is a fantastic creation; like an amalgam of George Smiley and Sir Les Patterson (Barry Humphries’ fictional Australian Cultural Attaché) with a sprinkling of Roger Mellie to spice up the language.  He is in turns, foul mouthed, uncouth, and obnoxious with a prodigious capacity for alcohol and the ability to conjure cigarettes out of thin air and fart at will.  No one his safe from his endless supply of insults and pejorative comments.  The introduction of a gay American dwarf called Reece Naismith III in this story helps to set a low bar for the humour such as ‘there’s two more of you, that’s nearly half the set, when’s Snow White coming?’  He’s not all bad though, allowing Reece a small part in the denouement set piece (even I’m at it now.)   One thing though; no one messes with Lamb’s Joes (agents).

All the inhabitants of Slough House are given their voice and chance to express their quirky character be it the delusional computer geek Roddy Ho or the butch, aggressive coke-head Shirley Dander.  Like the previous books in the series, it is an ensemble piece, though River Cartwright once again remains at the centre of the story.  Herron is also not afraid to kill off characters, this book leaves a cliff-hanger but also has a Joe seemingly coming back from the dead.  It’s a bold author who can do these things with confidence.

The plot captures the zeitgeist of our time with populist movements springing up and foreign incursions, we are living in momentous times, but many cannot see it and what may follow before it is too late.  Its contemporary without being preachy.  The pacing of the plot is well measured and allows room for witty dialogue along the way.  The jokes come thick and fast with some beautifully crafted and expertly cued.  There are serious points to be made though around the privatisation of services and the undermining of the State.

I first came across Mick Herron when he appeared at the first Hull Noir festival.  Since then, I have read or listened to all the books in this series and in my opinion this one is the best.  He has gone from a cult author to Sunday Times best seller listing in a short time and is clearly at the top of his game.  The audiobook narrator, Sean Barrett, is one of the best and his delivery at times is reminiscent of the late Humphrey Lyttelton’s Samantha gags in Sorry I Haven’t a Clue.

Definitely one to add to the ‘to read pile’ and a series that you don’t necessarily need to start at book 1 to get full enjoyment.

‘Brawlers and Bastards’ from Hull Noir 2017 – featuring Mick Herron https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWtJqua9jI4&t=18s

The North Water

By Ian McGuire

Published by Scribner UK

352 pages ISBN 139781471151262

The North Water was longlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize and has been adapted for television by the BBC, with Colin Farrell taking the role of Henry Drax and Jack O’Connell playing Patrick Sumner.

I borrowed my copy from Hull Central Library using their ‘click and collect’ service which is operating during the Covid 19 lockdown.  Many thanks to them for keeping the service going and remember folks support your local library.

From the blurb

A ship sets sail with a killer on board…

Synopsis

Its 1859 and former Army Surgeon Patrick Sumner joins the whaling ship ‘The Volunteer’ in Hull.  The vessel is to sail to the hunting grounds of Arctic Greenland, a trip Sumner is ill prepared for but must take.  He has a mysterious past which will be revealed during the journey.

Also on the voyage is the experienced harpooner Henry Drax a thoroughly evil man who is best avoided; something impossible within the close environs on board.

Captain Brownlee is jinxed it seems, his last command ‘The Percival’ ended in disaster and sailors are a superstitious lot.  He is looking forward to his retirement after one more successful trip, but whale numbers are depleted, and it is clear the industry is in decline.  Other plans are afoot too.

The journey becomes a battle for survival, man against man and man against the elements with a finale played out back in the Hull dockland.

My thoughts

This book was written a few years ago and came on my radar while I was looking for books by authors appearing at Hull Noir 2021.  When I mentioned this book to my good friend the author, one of the festival organisers, Nick Quantrill, he described it as ‘brutal’ which is a good one-word review.

This book captures the savage occupation of the hardest of men in the toughest of conditions.  There is violence and cruelty, but it is part of the story and not gratuitous.  It would be difficult to write credibly about the whaling industry without such incidents and the gory work which the men on board undertake.  It certainly does not gloss over the struggles of ordinary working people in the 19^th Century set against the decline of a traditional industry the forerunner to the decline of deep- sea fishing, which replaced it, some 110 years or so later.

Clearly the author has made some impressive historical research, working from first-hand accounts, into life on board and the activity of hunting down and killing of whales.  The sections based on land, mainly in my home city Hull, seem realistic in their setting in squalor and overall, it rings true though most locations have changed beyond recognition.

It is a difficult book to categorise.  In most senses it’s a crime novel as there is murder, rape and violence but its not a whodunnit in the traditional sense, the suspense comes from the plotting of where story is developing next.  It reads more like a piece of literary fiction, which is unsurprising as the author teaches creative writing, but the plot doesn’t meander, and the writing doesn’t try to be too clever, skilfully steering a course between the two genres.  There is a small time skip towards the end but this in no way spoils the story, the length feels about right and is all the better without the excess padding sometimes found in literary fiction.

I’ve not read Moby Dick so I cannot compare the two; no doubt some readers will link this book to the works of Joseph Conrad and Heart of Darkness in particular.  Understandable as Conrad is the writer who best captured the feeling of what it was like to be a sailor in the late 18^th century, but whilst Conard can seem impenetrable at times this work is very much reader friendly.

A thrilling read but perhaps one to pass over if you are of a sensitive nature.  The TV adaption, which was delayed due to the Covid 19 pandemic, is due on our screens soon so be quick to read before then, you won’t be disappointed.

Snapshot #DanielGray #Snapshot

Scenes and stories from the heartlands of Scottish football

Words by Daniel Gray

Photographs by Alan McCredie

200 Pages ISBN 9781913759001

Published by Arena Sport an Imprint of Birlinn Ltd www.birlinn.co.uk and Nutmeg The Football Periodical www.nutmegmagazine.co.uk

I purchased my copy direct from the publisher.  Currently out of stock.

From the blurb

From border to island, Premiership to Highland, here are the people and places that make Scottish football from Selkirk to Stornoway.  Here is a rarely seen version of the country and its football culture, rich in detail, charm and eccentricity.  It is a prolonged love letter to floodlights in Ayr, ghost stadiums in Glasgow, pitch-invading oystercatchers in Grantown and all the rest.

Synopsis

The format is straightforward, 14 chapters covering all aspects of the game north of the border.  Each chapter comprises an essay together with a collection of beautiful photographs, of differing sizes capturing the essence of the topic.  From the joy of the first day of the season to the silent Saturday due to Covid; from under the lights to the Sunday morning alarm crew there is so much that the average fan can relate to.

My thoughts

The blurb sums it succinctly, from chapter 1, it becomes clear that a book like this couldn’t be produced without a deep-seated genuine love of the game.  Even if you have merely a passing interest in Scottish football there is much pleasure to be had in sharing their story.

The book has been spun out of Nutmeg, The Scottish Football Periodical, which I am pleased to have been a tiny part of the journey signing up to the original crowdfund launch.  I subscribe to The Blizzard, which came before it, showcasing longer form football articles from around the world and recognised the importance of a similar publication specifically on the Scottish especially now that money and the English Premier League dominating the national reporting.  Scottish football has a rich football history and heritage that must not wither on the vine.  Its good to see that publication going from strength to strength and is now up to issue 19.

I myself caught the bug a few years back and now try to get up a couple of weekends a season to go to random games, not exactly ground hopping but certainly going to new places.  The people we meet are welcoming and a pleasure to spend time with and there are always surprises to be had be it the faded glories of Paisley or the unexpected beauty of Dunfermline.  If you avoid the Glasgow and Edinburgh giants the matches are usually competitive regardless of the standard.

The sheer variety of the photography in the book is what captures me.  We are in lockdown but my mind is slotting in the pieces ready for when we come out of it.  The next time I’m in the Glasgow area I’m going to seek out the red ash pitches covered in Chapter 4 ‘Blaes of Glory’.  In the safety first 21^st Century these pitches are falling to developers but they represent the cliché of jumpers for goalposts and on these pitches some of the greatest Scottish footballers of the 20^th Century will have honed their game.  Similarly, Chapter 11 ‘The Sunday morning alarm crew’ covers the joy of waking up on a Sunday morning with a hangover and trying to raise an XI to hack around on a poorly maintained council pitch.  Sadly, the pitches are disappearing and so are the teams; when I hung my boots up 30+ years ago there were 20 divisions in the local adult Sunday league, now there are just a handful.  This chapter more than any demonstrates that football is not just a game to be watched on the television.

I have a list of grounds to visit, and all this book has done is added to the list and changed the order somewhat.  Netherdale, the home of Gala Fairydean Rovers has a brutalist concrete look more reminiscent of a Stasi detention centre than a football stand but goes onto the must visit list for that reason alone.  Chapter 8 ‘Ghost homes’ shows us what can be lost if we don’t stick together, and a couple of former grounds have been added to Cathkin Park once the home of Third Lanark on my list to seek out before it is too late.

Most of all this book is about the fans for the fans and they are represented in portraits throughout.  Too many in football have lost sight of the fact that the game is really about the fans and without them what would be left is a mere shadow of what we had.

The book I see is currently out of stock, hopefully there will be a future print run or perhaps an updated issue.  If there is then I suggest that you get your order in.

Plender

By Ted Lewis

Published by No Exit Press noexit.co.uk

284 Pages ISBN 9780857302816

Plender is the Hull Noir 2021 festival read. My review copy was kindly provided by the publisher for the reading group session.

Hull Noir hullnoir.com @HullNoir

From the blurb

When, at a bar he uses to set up marks, Plender spots Knott with a girl way too young to be his wife he decides to follow the pair and see what happens.  What follows is an edge-of-your-seat trip into a nightmare story that manages to be both incredibly creepy and eerily profound.

Synopsis

 Peter Knott is a photographer with a grubby secret; Brian Plender is a private investigator with a penchant for blackmail and extortion.  These old schoolfriends cross paths 17 years later with disastrous consequences.

Knott’s career is based largely on work for his father in law’s catalogue and so he must keep his ailing marriage going. Plender has ambitions on advancement within the criminal organisation. He still harbours a grudge over childhood humiliations and once he inserts himself into Knott’s life things quickly spiral out of Knott’s control.

My thoughts

Classic Brit Noir which stands up well 50 years later. The author Ted Lewis being one of the writers to kick start the genre but who has been overlooked for too long.

The references to trolley buses, trilby hats and Gannex overcoats which clearly date the book are easily passed over; the temptation for modern writers setting a book so far in the past would be to make more of them to show how well they had researched the period.  The one stand-out thing that marks the passing of time, though, is the amount of drink driving taking place even though the legal limit was introduced back in 1967.

The story covers the seedier aspects of the criminal underworld post the ‘swinging sixties.’  There is no glamour here, men are set up using contact advertisements, the compromising photographs with women or transvestites taken without their knowledge, are then used for blackmail.

The story narrative switches between the two main characters and they tell it in the first person, including their flashbacks to their schooldays.  The prose is tight, unencumbered with excesses, moving the story briskly along. Lewis creates a real sense of urgency shortening sentences, paragraphs and the chapter exchanges from Plender to Knott as things spiral out of control. The plot is simple and relatively thin, but the mastery of its telling makes it a compelling read.

Knott is described as being almost like a hero of one of Poe’s stories and it is a very apt description as every decision he makes lead to more unintended consequences which he can only make worse by more action.  Paranoia ensues, although not to the visceral level of GBH, Lewis’ final novel before his early death at 42 through alcohol related causes, as Knott moves zombie-like to his fate.  Plans fall apart for both men and there is a final plot twist to encounter.

Neither of the main characters can be described as either the ‘hero’ or the ‘villain’ of the story as they are both fairly unpleasant characters.  This adds to the realism of the story blackmail is indeed a dirty business which sullies both parties to the transaction.

It may be 50 years old, but it is magnificent in its simplicity and remains essential reading.