The brilliant new novel about contemporary London gangland crime by the hugely well reviewed author of THE PARADISE TRAIL.
Britain's best known gangster, Charlie Hook, wants to tell his life story and chooses crime reporter Laurie Lane as his reluctant ghost. But the next day Hook is dead, his blood and hair on the walls of his north London mansion. Who has killed the last of the London Godfathers, the man who used to be a driver for the Kray twins? Laurie is having his own problems - he's suspected of fiddling his expenses and his country singer wife has left him for an older man - but he needs to find the killer to keep his job. Could it be a Russian businessman with a love of Scottish poetry and something dodgy in his Hampstead garden?
If It Bleeds
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About the Author
Duncan Campbell is a senior correspondent with the Guardian, where he has worked as the paper's crime correspondent and Los Angeles correspondent. He has written five non-fiction books including THE UNDERWORLD, THAT WAS BUSINESS, THIS IS PERSONAL and BILLY CONNELLY: THE AUTHORISED VERSION. He previously worked for Time Out and contributed to OZ, IT and The Rising Nepal. He is married to Oscar-winning actress Julie Christie.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By Keris Nine
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
If it bleeds, it leads. That's the old adage that the press live by and the death of one old-time London gangster Charlie Hook, a former associate of the Krays, gives Laurie Lane's struggling crime reporter a brief reprieve from being consigned to the motoring supplement section of the newspaper, or worse, redundancy and an investigation into irregularities in his expense account.
Crime reporting clearly isn't what it used to be, and neither is crime, come to that, reflects Laurie Lane throughout this very entertaining novel. In fact, everything seems rather more complicated to Duncan Campbell's aging old-school journalist (Campbell himself a long-time correspondent for the Guardian), facing up to the lack of perks in a workplace now dominated by instant news feeds, on-line blogs, free newspapers, laptops and Blackberrys. And it's not just the workplace that isn't what it once was, but Laurie also adjust to a new lifestyle now that his marriage is in trouble, his daughter isn't taking her A-level studies seriously and his team is struggling to regain supremacy in the local pub-quiz.
There are some perks however of a sort, the investigation into the killing of the London gangster taking Laurie over to Thailand on the trail of a Russian mafia boss, and he seems to be getting a lot of attention from attractive, younger women now that he is single again. In this context, the suspense of the investigation comes secondary to the entertainment comes from the characterisation of Laurie, his friends and colleagues, from the pub quizzes and the office politics, from the musings on the origins of expressions and Laurie's conscience-tugging battles with his Internal Prosecution Counsel that berates him simultaneously for not acting his age and for being an old-fart. It's this conflict and the resigned tone that Laurie adopts in the face of this just-can't-win situation that above all makes If It Bleeds a great read.
Crime reporting clearly isn't what it used to be, and neither is crime, come to that, reflects Laurie Lane throughout this very entertaining novel. In fact, everything seems rather more complicated to Duncan Campbell's aging old-school journalist (Campbell himself a long-time correspondent for the Guardian), facing up to the lack of perks in a workplace now dominated by instant news feeds, on-line blogs, free newspapers, laptops and Blackberrys. And it's not just the workplace that isn't what it once was, but Laurie also adjust to a new lifestyle now that his marriage is in trouble, his daughter isn't taking her A-level studies seriously and his team is struggling to regain supremacy in the local pub-quiz.
There are some perks however of a sort, the investigation into the killing of the London gangster taking Laurie over to Thailand on the trail of a Russian mafia boss, and he seems to be getting a lot of attention from attractive, younger women now that he is single again. In this context, the suspense of the investigation comes secondary to the entertainment comes from the characterisation of Laurie, his friends and colleagues, from the pub quizzes and the office politics, from the musings on the origins of expressions and Laurie's conscience-tugging battles with his Internal Prosecution Counsel that berates him simultaneously for not acting his age and for being an old-fart. It's this conflict and the resigned tone that Laurie adopts in the face of this just-can't-win situation that above all makes If It Bleeds a great read.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Laurie Lane is a crime reporter for a national newspaper. An ageing gangster, Charlie Hook, gets in touch with him and says he wants Laurie to help him write his life story. But before Laurie is able to make a decision Hook is found murdered.
Laurie's post with him newspaper is precarious and the editor is threatening to move him to the motoring department.... But if he can come up with a scoop about Hook's murder then his job might be secure. As the plot unfolds more and more complications arise. The dialogue is hilarious and much of the banter between the characters rings true. The pub quiz team (made up of Laurie and some ex-criminals) is particularly entertaining.
A great fun read - but Campbell isn't afraid to take the reader to some dark places.
Laurie's post with him newspaper is precarious and the editor is threatening to move him to the motoring department.... But if he can come up with a scoop about Hook's murder then his job might be secure. As the plot unfolds more and more complications arise. The dialogue is hilarious and much of the banter between the characters rings true. The pub quiz team (made up of Laurie and some ex-criminals) is particularly entertaining.
A great fun read - but Campbell isn't afraid to take the reader to some dark places.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an entertaining British dark comedy set in the world of crime and crime reporting.
Laurie Lane is a world weary crime reporter, his job is under threat, his wife has left him, an elderly and famous gangster has been killed, and worst of all, his pub quiz team keeps being beaten by the teachers.
Laurie bumbles through his issues and investigation where the big story seems to be just out of his reach interacting with a wide and amusing range of characters. The author's dialogue is spot on as is his characterisation, a perfect balance between plot and highly believable characters. There is a vague 'who done it', but this is more about the journey and the characters and it works very well. This was a delight from start to finish and highly recommended.
Laurie Lane is a world weary crime reporter, his job is under threat, his wife has left him, an elderly and famous gangster has been killed, and worst of all, his pub quiz team keeps being beaten by the teachers.
Laurie bumbles through his issues and investigation where the big story seems to be just out of his reach interacting with a wide and amusing range of characters. The author's dialogue is spot on as is his characterisation, a perfect balance between plot and highly believable characters. There is a vague 'who done it', but this is more about the journey and the characters and it works very well. This was a delight from start to finish and highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing
I chose this book after hearing it reviewed on Radio 4 however despite a promising opening premise and sympathetic characters the plot began to drag and the reading became more of... Read more
Published on 26 Dec 2010 by J. W. Evans
5.0 out of 5 stars
If It Bleeds
This is not a world classic. But it fizzes with energy and humour.
The author ploughs his furrow at the rich and murky frontier where traditional journalism meets... Read more
The author ploughs his furrow at the rich and murky frontier where traditional journalism meets... Read more
Published on 12 Jan 2010 by P. T. Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars
London crimeland story, understated writing style, good insider view
Current-day story that deals with the distinguished London crime families, told from the perspective of a somewhat jaded crime journalist. Read more
Published on 10 Jan 2010 by MikeB
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a super tale!
Fast paced and very funny, Campbell holds the readers attention to the final word. Hope he does it again - soon.
Published on 14 Oct 2009 by John Bray
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