Pecking Order - Hardcover

Simms, Chris

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0091794447 ISBN 13: 9780091794446

Publisher: Hutchinson, 2004

Synopsis

Rubble lives in a caravan and works on a battery farm. Totally oblivious to the outside world, he spends his days disposing of the sick and injured chickens. But all the while he dreams of a life in the army - despite the fact his numerous applications have been rejected. Then one day a mysterious visitor arrives and sees Rubble's child-like naivety combined with an ability to kill without compunction. Soon Rubble is employed on a sinister secret project. Rubble's only chance of realising how he's being cruelly used lies with the one person he confides in: a fortune-teller working on a premium rate telephone line. But just how disturbing must her caller's revelations become before she is prepared to take action? In this chilling thriller, Chris Simms plunges once again into the darkest reaches of human psychology: what drives one person to kill another? Praise for Chris Simms:'Chris Simms has created a completely new landscape of fear. Driving home on a dark night will never feel the same again.' Denise Mina, bestselling author of the Garnethill Trilogy and Sanctum.'One of the most promising debuts in crime for some time. City Life, Manchester 'Here is a new crime writer who really knows his stuff - a compulsive and compelling read' Publishing News 'Chris Simms' debut novel is not so much a whodunnit but a gripping and gritty whydunnit. [A] compelling psychological drama' Sky Text (2003-06-09)

About this title

Review:

‘...a wonderful display of talent from a soon-to-be star of the crime fiction world.’ -- January Magazine

‘...builds unrelentingly towards an edge-of-the-seat finale...’
The Book Seller -- The Book Seller

‘A very fast and brutal read... Chris Simms is a rapidly developing talent in the world of crime-fiction.’ -- Deadly Pleasures Magazine

‘...an ingeniously plotted psychological thriller...reading Chris Simms is like watching a Danny Boyle film...’ -- Ottakar’s Bookshop

From the Author:

A central theme of the novel is how an individual’s perception of reality can be shaped falsely by those around him. In the case of Rubble we have someone who, along with being inherently cruel, has absolutely no idea of the world beyond his battery farm.
When a character turns up that, crucially, appears to have the authority of the state behind him, Rubble is easily made to believe that the most deplorable actions are acceptable. (It’s a similar psychological process to those countless people throughout the world who willingly commit atrocities in the name of their government.)
This is what happens to Rubble – and a monster is unleashed on an unsuspecting part of northwest England.
Obviously much of the novel is set on a battery farm. As a teenager I got a summer job in one of these places, but walked out after three hours, sick to the stomach. Evidently the experience has haunted me all that time because, in Pecking Order, many of those memories finally get aired. So if you haven’t switched to free range eggs yet, maybe you’d like to before reading this book...

About this edition

• Publisher: Hutchinson
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0091794447
• ISBN 13: 9780091794446
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320