- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Orion; paperback / softback edition (19 Feb 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0575065486
- ISBN-13: 978-0575065482
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 5,572,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Book Description
Does for York what Ian Rankin did for Edinburgh
Product Description
What with tracking her husband's killer for the woman from Scottish Widows, and investigating the death of a teenage runaway, Sam Turner has enough on his plate. Without a mentally defective King Kong lookalike trashing his office and trying to throw him in the river, car and all. And he could certainly do without Frank Taylor, a bad-news gang boss from Manchester with some very nasty habits and even nastier tastes. . . 'John Baker brings heart, invention and wit to the business of adapting the tough-guy novel to the realities of contemporary Britain . . . King of the Streets will depress the local tourist board but bring cheer to crime and mystery readers' Ian Ousby, Independent on Sunday
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First Sentence
At first glance she was a nice old lady, but when you got to give her another look you saw right away that she was weird. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
At first glance she was a nice old lady, but when you got to give her another look you saw right away that she was weird. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the third installment in the excellent ongoing Sam Turner series of books and it picks up the story almost immediately after the events played out at the end of the previous book, Death Minus Zero.
At the onset of this story two CCTV operators in the city center control room bear witness to the abduction of a young man noting the private license number of the car used in the event with a view to blackmailing the owner.
Unfortunately for them the car belongs to a local gangster one Frank (or Franco) Taylor who puts his two heavies, Ben and his mentally retarded brother Gog, on the job who quickly erase the problem.
When Sam Turner is approached by the widow of one of these men to investigate his death he is drawn into a game of cat and mouse which could well put the lives of his entire team at risk.
What is outstanding about this book is the amount of texture John Baker gives to each of his characters, both good and bad.
The reader is at once filled with empathy and sympathy for the plights of several of the players.
Empathy is felt for Sam’s crew especially Geordie who is embarking on his first real relationship whilst possessing the naivety and awkwardness that I’m sure most will remember from our early days.
Sympathy is felt for Jeanie (Gus’s widow) and the revelation of her secret self-mutilation.
These feelings are not limited to the good guys there are genuine concerns for the well being of Gog who, although guilty of many terrible actions, is too simple a man to be responsible for them.
All of this makes for very engaging, compelling and most of all enjoyable reading.
Overall this is a darker tale than the previous Sam Turner outings but it’s instilled with what are now John Baker’s trademarks of humour and ideal of the good in people that lend the work enough heart and soul to elevate it above many works in the same genre.
At the onset of this story two CCTV operators in the city center control room bear witness to the abduction of a young man noting the private license number of the car used in the event with a view to blackmailing the owner.
Unfortunately for them the car belongs to a local gangster one Frank (or Franco) Taylor who puts his two heavies, Ben and his mentally retarded brother Gog, on the job who quickly erase the problem.
When Sam Turner is approached by the widow of one of these men to investigate his death he is drawn into a game of cat and mouse which could well put the lives of his entire team at risk.
What is outstanding about this book is the amount of texture John Baker gives to each of his characters, both good and bad.
The reader is at once filled with empathy and sympathy for the plights of several of the players.
Empathy is felt for Sam’s crew especially Geordie who is embarking on his first real relationship whilst possessing the naivety and awkwardness that I’m sure most will remember from our early days.
Sympathy is felt for Jeanie (Gus’s widow) and the revelation of her secret self-mutilation.
These feelings are not limited to the good guys there are genuine concerns for the well being of Gog who, although guilty of many terrible actions, is too simple a man to be responsible for them.
All of this makes for very engaging, compelling and most of all enjoyable reading.
Overall this is a darker tale than the previous Sam Turner outings but it’s instilled with what are now John Baker’s trademarks of humour and ideal of the good in people that lend the work enough heart and soul to elevate it above many works in the same genre.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio Cassette
Cornelius Garrett has performed in repertory theatres throughout the UK and has appeared n several of the BBC Shakespeare plays, the fashion series GEMS, WHITE LADY. CASUALLY and the James Bond film FOR YOUR EYES ONLY He has worked extensively in radio drama including classic BBC Radio 4 serials and many AFTERNOON and SATURDAY NIGHT THEATRE productions as well as programs for the WORLD SERVICE.
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JOHN BAKER is the author of 4x SAM TURNER novels besides this one: POET IN THE GUTTER, DEATH MINUS ZERO, KING OF THE STREETS and SHOOTING IN THE DARK. He has also recently published the first title in a brilliant new series, THE CHINESE GIRL.
_______________________________________________________
JOHN BAKER is the author of 4x SAM TURNER novels besides this one: POET IN THE GUTTER, DEATH MINUS ZERO, KING OF THE STREETS and SHOOTING IN THE DARK. He has also recently published the first title in a brilliant new series, THE CHINESE GIRL.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
Baker is a writer who deserves more attention!
19 July 2006
Format:Paperback
Investigator Sam Turner has his hands full. He is investigating the murder of a worman's ex-husband, a CCTV operator and, unbeknownst to her, a blackmailer. He is also helping the widow of a good friend, and helping Gordie, the orphaned young man Sam took under his wing, deal with his first serious relationship. But the biggest threat is from a pair of stroid-enhanced body builders working for the local gangster.
Baker knows how to create a fascinating cast of characters. Even his bad guys are ones you won't soon forget. He also knows how to balance humor and humanity with menace and cruelty. There are major and minor plot lines but they all entertwine to make this a very enjoyable book. I definitely feel Baker is one of he many authors who deserve a much wider readership and recognition they they have.
Baker knows how to create a fascinating cast of characters. Even his bad guys are ones you won't soon forget. He also knows how to balance humor and humanity with menace and cruelty. There are major and minor plot lines but they all entertwine to make this a very enjoyable book. I definitely feel Baker is one of he many authors who deserve a much wider readership and recognition they they have.
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