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IF TIM PURDOM hadn't made all of those black-and-white porno movies in London back in the early 1960s he'd probably still be alive today. Read the first page
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A note of caution here-those not familiar with the Profumo scandal (which is likely to be almost any American reader) would be well advised to do a little reading about it prior to embarking on Frewin's book. The Guardian web site has a decent mini-history of the affair, or at the least, watch the 1989 film Scandal (starring John Hurt and a young Bridget Fonda). The whole sordid episode is presented in Frewin's book, but only through the eyes of the protagonist, and much of the context may be confusing without further grounding.
A further note of caution is order due to the book's structure. Some readers may find confusing or be put off by its framing technique. The book starts with a 40 page section in which a contemporary narrator discovers an old '60s short porn film appended (appropriately enough) to a video of Get Carter. His curiosity over the maker of the "blue" film leads an interview-like series of other people talking about "Tim." Then the bulk of the book slips back in time to follow country lad Tim, as he tries to make it in the big city and the unsavory people he gets mixed up in. The book then ends with a brief further contemporary section. Those who demand their thrillers end neatly, with all loose ends tied up will be especially frustrated by the outcome.
Frewin's prose is direct and lively, capturing the period slang and tone. To a large degree, the story is one about a "secret London" of greasy cafés, small time hoods, West Indian immigrants, wanna-be models, and cover-ups. It's a vibrantly seedy portrait of London's transition from the postwar '50s to the legendary "swinging" '60s. (If the time and place interests you, check out Colin MacInnes' London trilogy of City of Spades, Absolute Beginners, and Mr. Love and Justice) The thriller aspect is a rather perplexing, tied up as it is in Tim's pornographic work and the Profumo scandal, but moves the story along-always with a hint of conspiracy. Good stuff, and I'll definitely be adding Frewin's next two books, "Sixty-Three Closure" and "Scorpion Rising" to my list, although hopefully it won't take me five years to find and read them!
This is a splendid "mod book" (and the knowledge of jazz sported by the author is very remarcable). The understanding of the London scene and way of life is really excellent.
You should indeed read this book not like a mystery/crime book but "as
itself" without gendre tags (the mod reference simply refers to an era and to London in that era).
In my opinion this is the best of the four fiction books written by Frewin and you should start from this and then continue with "Scorpian Rising" (a more "standard" crime novel which may then push you towards Jake Arnott "The Long Firm", if not the entire trilogy) and with "Sixty-Three Closure".
As for "The Reich Stuff" (the last fiction Frewin wrote until now): well not for everybody.
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