Full Whack

Rating:
Summary: Smart Brit, keen wit, take a hit
Review: This is a crime novel by a British guy who's also a stand up comic and a musician. No, none of that detective stuff, but like all good modern noir fiction, crime based on the man in the street. Dennis Pike, 34 and already going gray, is called on by two of his former cronies in crime, the Bishop brothers, for a new heist--of their former gangmate who's now made it big. Dennis is not too keen on this--as they say--'cause now he's gone straight. But a mysterious disappearance of his bank account forces him to go along with the plan.

The three of them do not count on Terry Nugent, resident nutjob who's about as violent as they come, gumming up the works. There's also Marti, Dennis' former girlfriend who's taken up with Patterson, another former gangmate, and Herman the German, the computer whiz. And of course the amazingly disgusting Mr. Bishop, father to the two brothers.

The slang comes fast and furious here but even for those of us Yanks who're not familiar with it, the context is there to help us out. The writing here is sharp and the story is a good one. This is a well done crime novel for those of you who like noir fiction with bite and flavor (or flavour, as they would say across the pond).

Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Smart Brit, keen wit, take a hit
Review: This is a crime novel by a British guy who's also a stand up comic and a musician. No, none of that detective stuff, but like all good modern noir fiction, crime based on the man in the street. Dennis Pike, 34 and already going gray, is called on by two of his former cronies in crime, the Bishop brothers, for a new heist--of their former gangmate who's now made it big. Dennis is not too keen on this--as they say--'cause now he's gone straight. But a mysterious disappearance of his bank account forces him to go along with the plan.

The three of them do not count on Terry Nugent, resident nutjob who's about as violent as they come, gumming up the works. There's also Marti, Dennis' former girlfriend who's taken up with Patterson, another former gangmate, and Herman the German, the computer whiz. And of course the amazingly disgusting Mr. Bishop, father to the two brothers.

The slang comes fast and furious here but even for those of us Yanks who're not familiar with it, the context is there to help us out. The writing here is sharp and the story is a good one. This is a well done crime novel for those of you who like noir fiction with bite and flavor (or flavour, as they would say across the pond).

Recommended.