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p_t_b's review against another edition
3.0
If you ever wished Jim Thompson wrote about england c. 1979 and was slightly less coherent
he_slaughtered's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
satyaraaj's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
therealjamesanderson's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
theeclecticreview's review
5.0
"All the evil in the world is powerless against intelligence and courage".
A dead body of a man is found in London and the detective protagonist needs to find who did it. What he finds is an interesting oral history of the victim's life captured by the victim on tapes. The tapes reveal the loneliness and destitution that the victim endures and the people that play a part of his life and death.
This book was originally published in the 1980's and the writing is fantastic. I really enjoyed this noir crime story. It is stark, gritty and real and you keep wanting to read more. The great mastery of this story is that you never learn the name of the detective who is investigating the story and you don't even realize it because it is so well written. I can't wait to read the next in the series.
Thank you to Mr. Raymond, Melville House Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book.
A dead body of a man is found in London and the detective protagonist needs to find who did it. What he finds is an interesting oral history of the victim's life captured by the victim on tapes. The tapes reveal the loneliness and destitution that the victim endures and the people that play a part of his life and death.
This book was originally published in the 1980's and the writing is fantastic. I really enjoyed this noir crime story. It is stark, gritty and real and you keep wanting to read more. The great mastery of this story is that you never learn the name of the detective who is investigating the story and you don't even realize it because it is so well written. I can't wait to read the next in the series.
Thank you to Mr. Raymond, Melville House Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book.
bexlrose's review against another edition
5.0
A brilliant gritty crime noir set in London in the 80s. I really really enjoyed reading it. I'd give it 5 stars for enjoyment but it loses half a star for plot I think as I don't feel the motive was quite there and the denouement felt a little harried. So, a well-enjoyed 4.5 stars it is.
emiliecollins's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
angus_mckeogh's review against another edition
4.0
Really different. Hard British noir mystery. Brutal and graphic. Sad. And all in all a very good read. There’s also a few more in this series.