John lives in a small house that has nothing in it, bar the absolute essentials and his boss's wife, Mary. She likes to get under the covers with her lover, a Geordie who has appeared on the scene from nowhere like some mythical beast, whenever she can. He's big and hard and scared of nobody.
There’s a job on soon and the tensions are mounting. Mary’s
husband gathers his crew and warns them to keep a low profile. John isn’t one
who finds that easy to do. He goes out with his mate and ends up in a bar brawl
that gets terribly out of hand (no pun intended). A quick visit to the local
underworld doctor and things are back to normal. Well, almost normal. The
driver for the heist is now incapacitated and Jock is brought into the team by
Mary’s father who oversees everything. Jock and John are cut from the same kilt and
their testosterone and pride ensure that there’s an edge
between them that could only be settled in a fight to work out who is the top
dog.
The ripples caused by the tensions within the group soon
turn into waves when not everyone is happy with the outcome of the job. To
complicate things further, we soon realise that the main motivation for the
whole thing has been something else entirely. Revenge becomes the new thrust of
the story and we know that there’s going to be nowhere to hide. For some of
those involved, the world is about to come crashing down with fists of thunder
and not all of them are going to be able to survive the pounding.
I really enjoyed this read. The prose is stripped bare just
like John’s flat. The characters feel very genuine and their motivations are
rooted in their histories as much as in their circumstances. There’s an edge of
menace throughout and when action is called for, it’s as strong and powerful as
those involved. The Newcastle setting really works and there’s a terrific
seventies feel which is all the more authentic because the detail is kept to a
minimum. I also liked the way the dialect comes through in the conversation
– it might take a while for some to get used to, but the meaning is always
clear.
My only reservation comes in relation to the structure. We
begin in 1978, shift back to a couple of years earlier and then back to 1978 to
where the opening left off. The first difficulty I had with this is one
relating to my memory (mine isn’t great) and I found myself rushing back to the
start to remind myself when it was set (sure, it was clear, but I don’t think I
registered it at the time and just placed it in the seventies). The second is
that it was so well put together that a lot of the middle section adds a layer
of back-story that I don’t feel was entirely necessary. I’d like to read it
again and simply go with the opening and final parts to see if that would work
alone – I reckon it would stand up nicely and.
The ending here is as satisfying as it was
unexpected. Its a perfect fit and somewhere lurking amidst
the surprise and the elements of disappointment was a pleasing burst of
triumph.
Cutthroat(US)is top quality noir fiction of the Brit Grit variety.
Sparse, dark, tense and action-packed, there are no heroes, no frills and no
dull moments. Another belter from All Due Respect - put it to the top of your list.
I, personally loved the middle part, but I did miss the first noted year. The middle part is more for Mary than anybody else and sets up where her story goes. The end of the first part is a complete shock and this second part adds layers to the story without stealing from the enigma of John.
ReplyDeleteThat's great to hear and thanks for posting. I was hoping someone might pick up on that comment just to get a sense of whether the opinion was shared or not. I understand what you mean about adding layers to Mary and I did appreciate the addition. The thing is, Paul's writing is so good that a lot of that is already implied. My feeling is that with a little playing around and with a light touch all of that could be included. My other thought is that the information in the middle could have worked even more effectively if it were simply added in chronological order. By the end of part 2, I was totally engaged and ready to shift into a higher gear and instead it took a different turn. What we can probably agree on is that this is a great read.
ReplyDeleteI also remembered the ode to Parker at the end of the novel and this mimics the Parker books in that part 2 focuses away from Parker with him returning in part 3 in the early ones I've read.
Delete