CIS: Elmore Leonard's Get Shorty revisited
When you look at a book by Elmore Leonard (1925-2013), it’s hard not to spend a moment thinking about the great crime writer himself. Though he was born in New Orleans, from the age of nine he lived in Detroit, and some of his most memorable books…
For Those Who Know the Ending
Written by Malcolm Mackay — Martin Sivok wakes up in a deserted warehouse. He is tied to a chair and the balaclava he was wearing earlier has gone. Who is Martin and what led him to this pretty pickle? We’re about to find out. For Those Who Know the…
The Second Life of Nick Mason
Steve Hamilton’s modern noir novel, as the title suggests, is centred on Nick Mason. His first life went royally wrong when he was put away for 25 years for felony homicide. But, guess what, he’s free! A Chicago crime lord has sprung him from jail…
Tommy Red by Charlie Stella
It is nearly four years since Rough Riders, a fictionalisation of Boston gangster Whitey Bulger‘s story, topped my end of year list. A lot has happened in the crime fiction field since then, most notably the genre-devouring Gone Girl and the whole phenomenon that is domestic noir….
The Second Life of Nick Mason by Steve Hamilton
Shall we start with the first life of Nick Mason? He was born in Canaryville, an Irish suburb of Chicago. He grew up in difficult circumstances, without a father, and gravitated to crime. From stealing cars he graduated to robbing dealers and then to armed…
A Fine House in Trinity by Lesley Kelly
Remember the old saying ‘you can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family’? Well, what if you have a pretty bad taste in friends too? Many people seem to have this problem, including Joe Staines, or Stainesie as he’s better known in his…