Most Wanted: Street Stories from the Caribbean - Softcover

Christborne Shillingford

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0953222438 ISBN 13: 9780953222438

Publisher: Papillote Press, 2007

Synopsis

"Crime writing with a harsh edge." - Nicholas Clee, The Guardian This anarchic collection of short stories chronicles the Dominican escapades of a private detective whose special knack is getting into (and out of) street scrapes. He escapes from drug dens, bent policemen, ghosts, disdainful girlfriends and crazy dogs. These are crime tales from "the block" - a modern, irreverent look straight from the back streets of Dominica. This is Christborne Shillingford's first book. He lives in rural Dominica, his birthplace.

About this title

Review:

"An original and stimulating debut. The narratives are steeped in Caribbean storytelling traditions which Shillingford exploits to deliver penetrating insights on the joys and sorrows of life."
Mike Phillips, winner of the Crime Writers Association Macallan Silver Dagger for Fiction Most Wanted is a compelling collection of crime stories that whisks you away from the package holiday images of sun, sea and sand to the gritty underbelly and back alleys of Dominica. Shillingford expertly uses the inventive, direct and witty language of the Caribbean to create a realistic portrayal of life that ranges from disputes in the dance hall to the hunt to score drugs, from the holy rituals of a group of Rastas to the dangers of venturing into the notorious Block 44.

Shillingford understands all of his characters and paints a lasting portrait of each on the page. And ultimately the standout character in this collection is Dominica itself.

The humour made me both chuckle and laugh out loud. What lifts this collection above the usual bang-bang crime story is its attempt to unpick the bigger issues facing the Caribbean. Shillington deftly and confidently creates stories, which are concerned with dealing with the effects of crime on people s lives."

Christborne Shillingford is an exciting and unique addition to the genre"
Dreda Say Mitchell

"This is comic writing with a harsh edge."
--The Guardian

From the Publisher:

A first collection from a new voice in crime fiction. Christborne Shillingford's short stories have an anarchic style chronicling the Caribbean adventures of a very amateur private detective whose special knack is getting in (and out of) scrapes. He escapes from drug dens, bent policemen, ghosts, disdainful girlfriends and crazy dogs. These are crime tales from "the block" - a modern, irreverent look straight from the streets of Dominica.

About this edition

• Publisher: Papillote Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0953222438
• ISBN 13: 9780953222438
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 166