Truecrime - Softcover

Arnott, Jake

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1569474079 ISBN 13: 9781569474075

Publisher: Soho Crime, 2005

Synopsis

“Funny, fast, witty, and brutal.”—David Bowie

Jake Arnott’s brilliant trilogy of criminal life in England forms a kind of Godfather-like history of Britain’s gangland, spanning 40 years. The first, The Long Firm (1999), caught everyone by surprise and was adapted into a TV series broadcast in the United States on BBC America. The New York Times said it was “a great read from start to finish.” The sequel, He Kills Coppers (2001), was likewise lauded.

The third, truecrime, revisits his first triumph, bringing back Harry Stark, an underworld boss on the lam. Harry is rumored to be laying low on Cyprus, the law having given up its pursuit, but someone is looking who isn’t concerned with the niceties of extradition, somebody who has as much use for the rules as Harry.

About this title

Review:

Sparklingly witty, immensely profound ... It should be read as a matter of urgency. (Erwin James, Guardian)

Sparklingly witty, immensely profound ... his fictional (or, more accurately, factional) characters bristle with authenticity, ensuring that the reader is drawn willingly alongside them into the mire ... an ironic, postmodern morality tale that I found the most compelling in the series ... It should be read as a matter of urgency. (Erwin James, Guardian)

The most expansive, ironical and funny novel of the series. (David Isaacson, Daily Telegraph)

Arnott delivers a beacon-bright satire ... [a] literary triumph (Metro)

Arnott earned his spurs in [his] first two novels, both pin-sharp and tough as hide. In the conclusion there's a little less action and a little more conversation, but that only furthers Arnott's credentials, allowing his ear for dialogue to cut through ... The prose is as hard, stylish and memorable as our antihero himself. (Arena)

Arnott's satire is right on the money (Observer)

The popularity of Arnott's work rests on his fluent, readable style and strong storytelling. While challenging the hype surrounding the genre, he avoids hypocrisy by stopping just short of glamorising his subject matter. (New Statesman)

The plotting is well-handled, and the comings and goings of its three main characters are cleverly interwoven ... Yobbos are Arnott's forte, and Gaz's misadventures are told with ironic relish. (Charles Mitchell, Spectator)

A clever blurring of real-life bad lads and fictional hard-nuts ... David Bowie's a fan of Arnott's, by all acounts. Read truecrime and you will be able to see why. (Front)

Book Description:

Harry Starks is back in Jake Arnott's riveting tale of thugs, drugs and revenge in the 90s

About this edition

• Publisher: Soho Crime
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1569474079
• ISBN 13: 9781569474075
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 338