- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: No Exit Press; First Edition edition (16 May 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 190198253X
- ISBN-13: 978-1901982534
- Product Dimensions: 19.3 x 12.7 x 1.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,064,704 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Scorpian Rising (Paperback Original)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Compared to New York or LA, a sleepy Kent seaside resort is not the most obvious setting for a noir thriller. However, with Scorpion Rising,dubbed "A seaside noir" Anthony Frewin is aware that a seemingly mundane locale can be just as unnerving as teeming city life. All the classic genre staples are present, with the world-weary 'tec investigating a labrynthine mystery. Yet, here, the hero is a gangland criminal and the "crime" is his gang being systematically murdered by an unknown assassin. Sidney Blattner is a successful crime lord, both feared and loathed. When his innocent brother is murdered execution style in Margate, Blattner uses his extensive influence to wreak revenge. Soon, members of his firm are dying and it becomes clear that his brother's death was a particular message. It's up to his right-hand man, Vince to ferret out the hidden nemesis. Suspects are abundant and not even the dead are discounted. As the pseudo-P.I., Vince is well portrayed, working out of laboured loyalty, not desire. Every aspect of the book has Frewin's penchant for textured detail: "There's another smell here too that Phil begins to notice: death. He can taste it on his tongue too. Of deaths past?". With a finely established style that complements the genre, Frewin has concocted a small, perfectly formed tale that will not disappoint and makes Margate seem decidedly eerie. --Danny Graydon
Product Description
Sidney Blatter is probably the most sucessful organised crime figure in London but things are coming unstuck. Who would dare to execute his innocent brother down in Margate? And why? When Blatter attends the funeral his chauffeur disappears forcing Sid and his two minders to flee the seaside resort ignominiously in a Transit van. He sends two of his aides down to investigate further but they too turn up dead leaving many questions but no answers. Will Vince, the sharpest member of sid's firm, have any better luck or are he and Sidney about to meet the maker.
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First Sentence
THE LARGE MERCEDES saloon with smoked glass windows pulled out of the racecourse and headed back to London. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
THE LARGE MERCEDES saloon with smoked glass windows pulled out of the racecourse and headed back to London. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As with Anthony Frewin's other books, "Scorpian Rising" is another gripping thriller. I don't know how he does it but he manages to evoke a really tense atmosphere - you can almost feel yourself there. This really was a page turner and then some! As ever, the characters have a questionable morality, but you just can't help identifying with them even so. Buy this book - you won't be disappointed.
Format:Paperback
With his third book, Frewin leaves behind the '60s conspiracy subject matter of his first two crime novels (the Promfuno scandal in London Blues and the Kennedy assassination in Sixty-Three Closure) for a stripped down gangster noir. The book was apparently conceived when his son issued a "let's see you do better then" challenge after they saw The Long Good Friday and Frewin hated it (I quite liked it myself). The result is a revenge tale that is ostensibly contemporary, but has a bleak timelessness that connects it to the '60s. The story concerns a bigtime London gangster and the fallout that occurs when his harmless brother is executed in the dying seaside resort of Margate. The boss, Sid, could easily have been a low-level hood in the '60s or early '70s, and now risen to the top. Most of the story is told through his smart but weary right-hand man, Vince. He's one of those classic crime book characters, he just wants to get out of the underworld while he still can, and retire to a quiet comfortable civilian life. His impending retirement is threatened by the mysterious assault on Sid's empire.
As the gang shuttles between London and Margate (about an hour away, you might recall it as the scene of the Mod vs. Rocker riots of the early '60s, as depicted in Quadrophenia, although those were in Brighton) a mysterious foe keeps causing problems for them-lethal problems. It's a strange kind of book, because for half of it, there's absolutely no clue as to who could be responsible. Then, about halfway in, a list of possibilities is presented, one of whom seems like the obvious choice. It's a bit if a disappointment when that is confirmed at the very end. But the book is more about atmosphere than plot, and the atmosphere is very heavy on the mockney gangster tip, lots of tough banter and "Guv" use. The portrayal of Margate as a dying resort is quite good, and it's kind of interesting how it acts as a killing ground for these toughs from the big smoke. All in all, a decent gritty page turner, but unlikely to leave much of a mark.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Murders, Mayhem, and Margate
13 Nov 2003
Format:Paperback
With his third book, Frewin leaves behind the '60s conspiracy subject matter of his first two crime novels (the Promfuno scandal in London Blues and the Kennedy assassination in Sixty-Three Closure) for a stripped down gangster noir. The book was apparently conceived when his son issued a "let's see you do better then" challenge after they saw The Long Good Friday and Frewin hated it (I quite liked it myself). The result is a revenge tale that is ostensibly contemporary, but has a bleak timelessness that connects it to the '60s. The story concerns a bigtime London gangster and the fallout that occurs when his harmless brother is executed in the dying seaside resort of Margate. The boss, Sid, could easily have been a low-level hood in the '60s or early '70s, and now risen to the top. Most of the story is told through his smart but weary right-hand man, Vince. He's one of those classic crime book characters, he just wants to get out of the underworld while he still can, and retire to a quiet comfortable civilian life. His impending retirement is threatened by the mysterious assault on Sid's empire.
As the gang shuttles between London and Margate (about an hour away, you might recall it as the scene of the Mod vs. Rocker riots of the early '60s, as depicted in Quadrophenia, although those were in Brighton) a mysterious foe keeps causing problems for them-lethal problems. It's a strange kind of book, because for half of it, there's absolutely no clue as to who could be responsible. Then, about halfway in, a list of possibilities is presented, one of whom seems like the obvious choice. It's a bit if a disappointment when that is confirmed at the very end. But the book is more about atmosphere than plot, and the atmosphere is very heavy on the mockney gangster tip, lots of tough banter and "Guv" use. The portrayal of Margate as a dying resort is quite good, and it's kind of interesting how it acts as a killing ground for these toughs from the big smoke. All in all, a decent gritty page turner, but unlikely to leave much of a mark.
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