BOOK REVIEW | READ MORE WIDELY
The toff goes to market
THE TOFF GOES TO MARKET by John Creasey (1942) Richard Rollison is not your average posh boy toff. This is because Rollison has actual useful work to perform which ultimately serves the common good. Called to action, Rollison sets out to investigate the black-market trade in wartime Britain and soon finds himself embroiled in a widespread scheme of illegal goods trafficking, protection racketeering, and murder. In short, goods are stolen from shops and warehouses, which are then made overpriced and forced upon vendors through threat of violence, the profits of which are then invested into a depressed wartime property market,…
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Fuzz
FUZZ by Ed McBain (1968) Two homeless vagrants have been set ablaze in separate incidents. But when Detective Steve Carella goes undercover to catch these people-burners, he ends up being doused in petrol and set alight. Meanwhile, a ransom demand delivered to the police indicates that if five thousand dollars is not paid to the extortioner, then someone will die. The police and city will not pay, and pretty soon two high profile assassinations unfold, sending the city into widespread panic. As the team from the 87th Precinct launch a multi-pronged investigation into these murders, the value of the ransom…
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They shoot horses, don’t they?
THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON’T THEY? by Horace McCoy (1935) Robert and Gloria are two young people trying to make it in the Hollywood moving picture industry during the Great Depression. Jobs are hard to come by and money is scarce, and a young person’s sense of security is more reliant on attitude than material comfort. Robert is naturally upbeat about life and luck and opportunity; Gloria is morbid and wants her life to end, but lacks the courage required for a second attempt at suicide. Meeting by chance, and getting along with one another despite their different dispositions, the pair…
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The pelican brief
THE PELICAN BRIEF by John Grisham (1992) When two Supreme Court Justices are executed in quick succession, law student Darby Shaw searches for a link between the two murders. Working furiously between classes, Darby compiles her brief, which relies upon a connection between a near extinct pelican species, the land on which they live, the oil and gas that lies underneath the same earth, and an obscure individual, a wealthy and powerful figure who just might benefit from a change in the makeup of the Supreme Court. The pelican brief soon finds its way to the FBI, the CIA, and…
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Young man, I think you’re dying
YOUNG MAN, I THINK YOU’RE DYING by Joan Fleming (1970) Winston Sledge is an industrious young man. Barely into his twenties and already he has a flat of his own on a London estate, a Jag parked in the street, mod fashion galore, and cash to burn. Sledge also has a live in mistress whom he rents out during the day and a preference for robbery to finance his lifestyle. As well as a violent streak that erupts whenever he cannot get his own way or an obstruction suddenly appears to block one of his selfish demands. And once Sledge…
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The laughing policeman
THE LAUGHING POLICEMAN by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (1968) Two policemen sit inside their vehicle on a cold, dark, rainy night. Better inside the car than out on the street. But then a local informs the officers that a bus has crashed up ahead, just around the bend. So much for an easy night on the job. Upon arrival at the scene the officers find the bus parked across the footpath and with the door open. One officer takes a peek inside and observes nine passengers, all bleeding from gunshot wounds. Most of them appear to be dead. But…
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The Bitcoin white paper
BITCOIN: A PEER-TO-PEER ELECTRONIC CASH SYSTEM by Satoshi Nakamoto (2008) Bitcoin provides a means for person-to-person monetary transactions without the need for the involvement of a financial institution or bank. Bitcoin circumvents the need for a bank to act as a protector against double spending. This is done through the use of network timestamps which are attached to individual transactions combined with the action of hashing, whereby individual transactions are collated into blocks within an overall proof-of-work chain. This chain of blocks cannot be altered or doctored. This is because the CPU power required to defeat the bitcoin network must…
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The secret hours
THE SECRET HOURS by Mick Herron (2023) Some things have remained buried for years. Like the whereabouts of the mysterious Karl Schenker or the facts surrounding Molly Doran’s missing limbs. So, when a go-nowhere formal inquiry receives an anonymous file loaded with long concealed information, which appears to the “product” of the Service, eyebrows are raised and proper questions begin to be asked. In turn, causing alarm bells to ring loudly all across London, including within the spy universe. As news of this development leaks into the ears of interested parties, a killer is forced to make a bold move.…
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The big bundle
THE BIG BUNDLE by Max Allan Collins (2022) Book one. It is 1953 and little Bobby Greenlease has been kidnapped. The kidnappers have demanded a $600,000 ransom. Private detective Nate Heller is called in to investigate. Heller soon discovers that a bigmouth dipso called Steve seems to have recently come into a large amount of money. This is one bigmouth that Heller doesn’t want to avoid. Book two. It is now 1958 and most people have moved on with their lives. However, despite the intervening five years, half of the ransom money is still out there. Heller, whose earlier involvement…
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The long knives
THE LONG KNIVES by Irvine Welsh (2023) Three men suffer separate brutal attacks. In each instance, castration has been the signature of the assailant. What motive would anyone have to pursue these men before committing such a specific act of violence? Edinburgh cop Ray Lennox is intent on finding out. Lennox suspects that these three attacks, which include two murders, are somehow connected. But how? As Lennox delves into the murky world of the rich and powerful, where anything can be purchased for a price, and sometimes is, Lennox must face his own demons as he attempts to stop the…
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The call of the wild
THE CALL OF THE WILD by Jack London (1903) Once gold was discovered in the cold and snowy north it was only a matter of time before many things would change. The pattern was familiar. First a trickle of hardened prospectors arrived and then soon followed a great flood of men who sought to find their fortune in a riverbed. The Klondike gold rush, which occurred between 1896 and 1899, is where we find Buck, a casualty of the new economy. Which saw demand for dogs explode as sled transport was the foremost means of travelling by land in the…
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Factotum
FACTOTUM by Charles Bukowski (1975) Henry Chinaski’s twin passions are drinking booze and writing short stories. To pay for the former and to survive whilst undertaking the latter, Chinaski works at various low paid jobs. Seeking only a paycheck to get by, Chinaski has no ambition to “make it.” He just wants to get his stories published, preferably whilst drinking good whiskey. Unable to settle down in his hometown of LA, Chinaski ventures throughout America by Greyhound bus. Along the way, Chinaski gets pissed, laid, and eventually gets one of his stories published. Good for him. Fiction (semi-autobiographical). 163 pages.…
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The godfather
THE GODFATHER by Mario Puzo (1969) Don Corleone is first and foremost a devout family man. There is nothing he would not do for his beloved kin. The Don is also a shrewd and powerful businessman who solves problems, bestows gifts, and grants favours to those who seek his assistance. Of course, there is always a cost to each of these ‘conflict resolutions’ – nothing is free – but that cost will be determined at some important point in the future. The obvious business of the Corleone family is olive oil imports and distribution. But other significant business interests also…
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Notes from underground
NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1864) A former public servant moves underground. Now, after forty years of living in this way, the voice must share what the mind has learnt. Written in two parts, the former gives expression to the rant, whilst the latter provides practical examples. Seeking to feel something – anything – the embodied voice sets about picking fights with others. Not so much to win a contest and later revel in victory, or to even participate in the same and thereby experience an intellectual dynamism and temporary sensation, but rather, to simply shake off the lethargy…
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A clockwork orange
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE by Anthony Burgess (1962) Set within a world of youthful fashions, where classical music remains dominant for a time, and the language spoken is Nadsat. Alex and his three droogs spend much of their time engaged in ultra-violence. Which largely consists of belting faces and slashing and stabbing the bodies of anyone they encounter when they are out and about. In between the bouts of ultra-violence, the droogs consume Milk plus, which delivers them to different places. And sometimes the old in-out in-out offers a brief distraction from the real work of ultra-violence. But things do not…
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Skin
SKIN by Roald Dahl (1954) In 1913, three friends gather for a convivial evening of frivolity and drinking. By the end of the night, one friend has an enormous artwork tattooed on his back. Next day, the friends separate and shortly thereafter World War One intervenes and social upheaval disrupts everything including friendship. Years later, the war is over, and ruins lay everywhere. Many of those who have survived are now homeless and without means. Our friend is now walking the street, seeking a meal, when he notices an art exhibition in progress. He recognises the striking artistic style at…
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Visual pleasure and narrative cinema
VISUAL PLEASURE AND NARRATIVE CINEMA by Laura Mulvey (1975) A critical analysis of the twentieth century Hollywood film. Which remains the product of the dominant ideological structures that exist within American society. As much as any Hollywood film is also the material realisation of significant capitalist investment. American society is distinctly patriarchal. Hollywood film has developed a “way of seeing” which denies woman her power to be separate and active. Instead, subjecting woman to a “male gaze” that the audience can identify with and draw pleasure from. Mulvey argues for the development of a new film industry that can deliver…
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The Ambler warning
THE AMBLER WARNING by Robert Ludlum (2005) Harrison Ambler retains far too much sensitive information and would likely glean far too much more if he were to remain a free man. Hence, Ambler, the human polygraph, is presently being held incommunicado within an American psychiatric prison administered by the CIA. Drugged daily into a narcotic stupor, it is only with the sly help of psychiatric nurse Laurel that enables Ambler to reconstitute himself before launching a daring escape. But this is just the beginning of something much bigger. Ambler doesn’t know who he is or what his past might reveal.…
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The American utopia
THE AMERICAN UTOPIA by Eduard Batalov (1985) A plain-speaking and concise Russian perspective on the American utopia. A new land settled that is replete with natural resources, in stark contrast to Europe. A new land whose frontiers could be pushed westward at will to accommodate ever more travelling pioneers. A local population that was robbed and displaced. From this, arose many ideas and beliefs about society and the world. American exceptionalism. Manifest Destiny. Americans and America as unique amongst others. Home grown and local variants of socialism. The farmer’s utopia as a fundamental tenet of American ideology. The American Revolution…
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The motorcycle diaries
THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES by Ernesto Che Guevara (1967) A young pre-revolutionary Che journeys throughout Latin America with his mate Alberto. Part coming-of-age adventure story and part travelogue, Che’s diary is replete with direct observations and critical reflections. As they are both recent medical graduates, the trip takes in visits to doctors in different countries, and to numerous hospitals. Beginning in the south, the pair travel through Argentina and on into Chile upon a single motorcycle named La Ponderosa. Later, as the bike refuses to go on, the two-wheeled companion is abandoned, and the travellers continue without a vehicle. Heading north,…
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Billion-dollar brain
BILLION-DOLLAR BRAIN by Len Deighton (1966) Heralding the arrival of artificial intelligence decades before its appearance, the billion-dollar Brain is a super-computer owned and controlled by a private spy service based in the US. General Midwinter, the powerful and wealthy head of the mercenary organisation, Facts for Freedom (FFF), has his Brain take on the role of analyst and communications officer. Simply put, the Brain receives information from multiple operatives in the field, the information is then sifted and sorted as analysis is performed, and instructions are then issued to the operatives that remain in the field or are to…
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The medium is the massage
THE MEDIUM IS THE MASSAGE by Marshall McLuhan and Quentin Fiore (1967) McLuhan’s text combines with Fiore’s smart graphics to create a riveting exploration of the mass media and its influence over us. All media “works us over” and touches us in some way. Welcome to the “Age of Anxiety.” Western art is dominated by the visual perspective of the artist. What cannot be observed from one fixed position is not included within the artwork. Alternatives? Also, the ear as useful non-discriminatory receiver of information. New technologies demand new and different reactions to their presence. Have we upgraded ourselves to…
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Vile bodies
VILE BODIES by Evelyn Waugh (1930) A sarcastic and witty tale written with a generosity of spirit that underpins a brutal forthrightness about the society we inhabit. Situated in the period following the denouement of the Victorian era, this is a coming-of-age tale shared through a series of darkly humorous vignettes. Encompassing the newly minted children of the rich and powerful who reject their parent’s generation and their entrenched views and habits. Living in the new century where being bored with everything is the latest fashion. Copious booze, unrelenting parties, the draining ennui that intervenes, the tension of sameness writhing…
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One flew over the cuckoo’s nest
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST by Ken Kesey (1962) Everybody thinks the Chief is deaf and dumb. But really it was the clocks that had simply stopped. Then one day Randle McMurphy arrives at the nuthouse, hoping for a better time than he was getting in the jailhouse. McMurphy was the type of big, strong, rough ‘n’ ready guy that could make a stopped clock start ticking again just by looking at it. With an indomitable spirit and a wry sense of humour, McMurphy soon becomes a popular leader among society’s outcasts. With persistent effort and simple activism, McMurphy…
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Of mice and men
OF MICE AND MEN by John Steinbeck (1937) Paid work is scarce, but life on the road offers the prospect of finding employment. One smart man. One simple man. Two mates, each seeking an improvement in circumstances. Both hoping for a brief respite from the relentless foraging that precedes mealtimes. Finally, as work is found, and money is made, everything seems to be on the up and up. George and Lennie are living the American dream after surviving the American nightmare. Now George can begin to advance his plans for success, with Lennie heartily and affectionately included in these plans.…
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No country for old men
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN by Cormac McCarthy (2005) Away from the cities and towns and all the prying eyes and curious minds a big deal is going down. A big money deal. A big drug deal. A standard business deal. But then all hell breaks loose, and everybody seems to be shooting bullets at everybody else. In the aftermath, many lay dead and dying. At this point Llewlyn Moss arrives and in between the blood soaked bodies discovers a truck full of heroin and a briefcase full of money. To Llewlyn’s credit, he pauses for thought, but apparently not…
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Fear and loathing in Las Vegas
FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS by Hunter S. Thompson (1971) Hunter and his attorney undertake the quintessential American road trip. True to form, the journey is about getting to the destination, the time spent there, the leaving and returning, as much as it is a journey into the self. To aid this process of discovery, a variety of drugs in various quantities will be consumed, which in turn leads to madcap adventures alongside evolving awareness. Hunter and his attorney seemingly observe society without its mask of polite conformity and with deft skill are able to navigate the world as…
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The Washington club
THE WASHINGTON CLUB by Peter Corris (1997) Claudia Fleischman’s wealthy husband has been found murdered and the police strongly suspect that she killed him. Private detective Cliff Hardy is hired by Claudia’s lawyer to investigate the Fleischman murder in an effort to clear her name. The quest soon draws Hardy into the lurid world of hired killers, extortionists, drug dealers, pimps, perverts, and the obscenely wealthy. As Hardy begins to uncover a conspiracy that involves the theft of major funds from Fleischman’s company, he meets with serious opposition. Some people don’t want Hardy sticking his beak into their business, and…
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Pale gray for guilt
PALE GRAY FOR GUILT by John D. MacDonald (1968) A big land developer is methodically buying up all the land in the local area. Tush and his family live upon a small parcel of land and run a business there. Despite purchase offers, Tush won’t sell. Life is good, so why should he sell? But big moneyed interests have a way of encroaching upon the lives of the simple folk. Tush and family are forced off the land. Then, Tush is killed in a highly unusual manner. Travis McGee, part time detective, part time adventurer, and full time justice seeker…
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The doomsters
THE DOOMSTERS by Ross MacDonald (1958) One family. Four dead in separate incidents. What are the odds? When a patient from the mental hospital busts out and drops in on private detective Lew Archer, telling a tall story and seeking his help, Archer promises to assist the escapee if he will return to the hospital. Will he go back? A sore jaw and a stolen vehicle say otherwise. But Archer is used to a little pain and is not easily perturbed. Ostensibly seeking the return of his vehicle, Archer sets out to discover the facts for himself. When Archer meets…
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