Pages: 224 (Paperback) ISBN: 1904598773 Pub: Polygon An Imprint of Birlinn Limited Pub date: 2006-04-06 Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 464235
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Reader Reviews:Blows Rankine and Brookmyre out of the water (2/2 people found this helpful)Allan Guthrie is by far the best Scottish crime novelist on the go at the moment and should be much better known than he is. His style is hardboiled along the lines of American masters such as Jim Thompson. This book, like his others is a solid page-turner. Its not great literature but it has craftsmanship and it draws you in. I normally have his books finished within 48 hours. Not going to win the Booker anytime soon and all the better for it! Doesn't match the hype (2/8 people found this helpful)With all the wonderful write ups this novel has had (including the above) I was expecting so much more from it. In the end I found a medicore novel where the author was under the impression that if he provided enough violence then he'd write a good thriller. It didn't work. To be honest it did start of well but after the first few chapters went downhill fast. From the moment Joe is arrested in Orkney I'd worked out what was going on and therefore it then limped to a pathetic anticlimax. And I am sorry, but in my view the writing was just awful!!
Addictive reading (3/4 people found this helpful)Fast paced crime noir novel that I found addictively easy to read. I think the book's strength is that all the main characters (especially Cooper and Joe Hope) are very compelling. His baddies have redeemable qualities (Cooper is a doting father) whilst his heroes tend to be flawed (Joe isn't exactly a model citizen). The plot develops nicely, leading to a tension (and violence)filled denouement. Possibly a slight downside is that when the novel comes to an end, it almost feels like it's ended too soon, and I wanted to know what was going to happen next. But maybe Guthrie's next book will answer that particular question? Similar ProductsHome Is the Sailor (Hard Case Crime) Dutch Uncle (Hard Case Crime) Branded Woman (Hard Case Crime) CategoriesAmazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories:
Books -> Subjects -> Crime, Thrillers & Mystery -> Mystery
Books -> Subjects -> Crime, Thrillers & Mystery -> Thrillers Books -> Subjects -> Fiction -> General Books -> Refinements -> Language (feature_browse-bin) -> English Books -> Refinements -> Age (feature_two_browse-bin) Books -> Refinements -> Format (binding_browse-bin) -> Paperback
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