Start reading California on your Kindle in under a minute. Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.

Deliver to your Kindle or other device

 
 
 

Try it free

Sample the beginning of this book for free

Deliver to your Kindle or other device

Read books on your computer or other mobile devices with our FREE Kindle Reading Apps.
California
 
 

California [Kindle Edition]

Ray Banks
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Digital List Price: £0.77 What's this?
Kindle Price: £0.77 includes VAT* & free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
Unlike print books, digital books are subject to VAT.


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Product Description

Product Description

Shuggie Boyle is a changed man. Which is why, after serving four years for armed robbery, he's skipped his licence and jacked a pensioner's car. His destination is the small Scottish town of California, where his ex-girlfriend is holding his cut, and where his new-found calm will be put to the test.

CALIFORNIA - previously published by Crime Express, now in a new e-dition.

Praise for CALIFORNIA:

"I’d say he’s the most consistently ”realistic” writer in the genre working, his stories the most organic, his characters and their motivations the most recognizable. Banks’ new novella, California, displays these rare qualities proudly and brightly in just under a hundred pages." - Spinetingler Magazine

"Clocking in at fewer than 100 pages, the mighty punch delivered by this dark, quirky novella proves that sometimes the best things really do come in small packages." - The Daily Record

"There's something about this extremely well written novella by Ray Banks which is reminiscent of a thoroughly reduced sauce. The quantity might be less, but the intensity of the flavour and the effect on the palate is enhanced. Shuggie's efforts to turn round his life make gripping reading, and when you put the book down for the final time you emerge with a sense of relief that it is only fiction: until a glimpse of the news confirms there are plenty of real Shuggies out there..." - Undiscovered Scotland

Praise for RAY BANKS:

"Banks is one of the freshest voices in hard-boiled crime fiction today." - Library Journal

"Ray Banks writes with harshness, humour and elegance, and his punchy dialogue teems with vigorous authenticity." - The Times

"Banks has an ear for the vernacular as sharp as, but a shade or two bluer than, that of George V. Higgins. Let the squeamish stick with Tony Soprano; this is the real tough stuff." - Kirkus

"Quick, sharp and emotionally raw, reading Banks is like a dinner of blowfish with a sociopathic chef serving up a slice of death on a plate. One bad cut and it could all go wrong, but when it's served with skill, it's an adrenaline rush." _ Crimespree Magazine

"Lots of neo-noir's young tyros can punch -- and Banks can punch as hard as the best of them -- but he also has the heart and soul to back it up." - January Magazine

"For those bored with the traditional approach of crime and mystery series - who know that there is more to be found in the big, bad world of crime fiction - Banks is the man. His books are smart, unpredictable and, above all, dangerous." - Crime Scene Scotland

"For my money one of the top crime writers currently operating in Britain." - Martyn Waites

About the author:

Ray Banks is the author of the Cal Innes Quartet (SATURDAY'S CHILD, DONKEY PUNCH, NO MORE HEROES, BEAST OF BURDEN), the e-only novel DEAD MONEY and the novellas, GUN and CALIFORNIA. He lives in Edinburgh.

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 152 KB
  • Print Length: 54 pages
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language English
  • ASIN: B006NY2YH4
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #41,557 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  •  Would you like to give feedback on images?


More About the Author

Ray Banks
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

Visit Amazon's Ray Banks Page

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Customer Reviews

4 star
0
3 star
0
2 star
0
1 star
0
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
In California Banks introduces us to Shuggie, an ex-con who may have finally figured out how to control his temper. He's on a mission to get from Calfornia, Falkirk, to California in the US. All he needs to do is collect the ill-gotten loot he'd stashed in his home town and get gone. Simple enough, so long as nobody gets in his way.

This is a short, straightforward read that is exceedingly well written. The insight into Shuggie's psyche is chilling in its stark authenticity. Banks is a heavyweight in the gritty Brit crime genre. Powerful.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Format:Kindle Edition
Ray Banks has been on my list of writers that I wanted to read. After recently being very entertained by a short crime story of his that was part of a collection, I decided to read California. The other two reviews of this novella length piece, pretty much summed up my thoughts. The characters and the dialogue are what really made this work. The opening scene reeled me in and the story, pacing, and excellent banter between all the various players, kept me interested right to the end. This was a quick, very satisfying read and I will most certainly be reading more from the author.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am a massive fan of Ray Banks and this novella does not disappoint at all, if anything it perhaps raises the bar slightly. As always the dialogue is brilliant and amongst the dark and sometimes brutal story there is the humour. I suspect I may well read it again !
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject





i.e., each title must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Amazon Media EU S.à r.l. GB Privacy Statement Amazon Media EU S.à r.l. GB Delivery Information Amazon Media EU S.à r.l. GB Returns & Exchanges