Slammer
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Review
Guthrie's prose is a series of short, sharp shocks, reeking of the visceral brutality of the toughest contemporary noir...those who enjoy the darker side of the genre are in for some serious thrills with this, his fifth novel. --Guardian
A book as inventive and groundbreaking as it is magnificently written…'Slammer' is the most relentlessly page-turning novel this reviewer has come across in a long, long time…a superb novel that will leave you thinking hard about life for a long time afterwards, and there's not much higher praise than that --The Scotsman
A witty and inventive stylist --Washington Post
A book as inventive and groundbreaking as it is magnificently written…'Slammer' is the most relentlessly page-turning novel this reviewer has come across in a long, long time…a superb novel that will leave you thinking hard about life for a long time afterwards, and there's not much higher praise than that --The Scotsman
A witty and inventive stylist --Washington Post
Product Description
Young prison officer Nicholas Glass is finding the stresses of the job increasingly hard to handle. Bullied and abused by inmates and colleagues alike, every day is getting longer than the one before. When a group of cons use outside help to threaten his wife and daughter, Glass agrees to help them out with a 'favour'. But, as their threats escalate, and one favour leads to another, Glass grows ever closer to breaking point. And when glass breaks, it shatters...
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
Slammer takes you on a dark journey that you know is not going to end well. From the first page I cared about Nick Glass, wanted him to do well, do right by his family and have a happy life. Allan Guthrie doesn't do "happy ever after". What he does very well is the capture the hope and naivety of the new boy setting out on a fresh career only to be shattered as reality hits and hits hard. Some nights I was almost reticent to read the next chapter not wanting to know what was in store for him as if by not reading our hero would stay where he was and his life might not spiral ever downwards but I had to know.
Allan Guthrie's Edinburgh feels ever so slightly like a caricature of the real city with certain aspects exaggerated along with some areas of the plot s. Think along the lines of the London in lock stock and two smoking barrels and you'll not be far off.
I look forward to the next Guthrie being available on the kindle
Allan Guthrie's Edinburgh feels ever so slightly like a caricature of the real city with certain aspects exaggerated along with some areas of the plot s. Think along the lines of the London in lock stock and two smoking barrels and you'll not be far off.
I look forward to the next Guthrie being available on the kindle
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
I'm glad I finished it in the evening rather than saving it for the start of my Friday off. To end one day in a contemplative mood feeling sombre is better than to begin the next feeling sombre before even getting out of bed. I think so anyway.
That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy reading Slammer. Far from it. In the usual books I read, a crime is committed at the start and is solved at the end by a crumpled hero and that's it; the world is put to rights again and we can all rest easy. I am almost complacent as I switch off the light, the next book already lined up, the one just read not dwelling long enough in the mind to cause a problem.
Mr. Guthrie doesn't do flowery stories about crime, featuring characters with straightforward lives touched by misfortune. There are no 'goodies' or 'baddies'. Slammer is the third of his books I have read. With this, like the others, I felt uncomfortable when I finished reading, once again shown the frailties of human nature. Nick Glass is introduced to us as a nervous, young man with a family to provide for - something he did not choose but made the best of - which is why he became a prison warden. Like many of us, he turns up at work each day and goes through the motions until it's time to return home, only to repeat the same routine again the next day.
I don't think I liked poor Nick much even before his troubles began. He doesn't get any more appealing as the book goes on but I was dragged along through the shadows, until it was too late; there was no escape. I watched with dismay wondering how things could get so out of control. Nick was conquered by his demons and so was I, the reader, in a way. It was with grisly fascination that I followed Nick along his path to self destruction.
It's a very sad, disturbing book. It demonstrates how easy it is to be led astray. It makes you wonder if we really aren't all creatures of circumstance. Life isn't meant to be predetermined. We have choice, don't we? Read it. It's a great book but don't expect a happy ending.
That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy reading Slammer. Far from it. In the usual books I read, a crime is committed at the start and is solved at the end by a crumpled hero and that's it; the world is put to rights again and we can all rest easy. I am almost complacent as I switch off the light, the next book already lined up, the one just read not dwelling long enough in the mind to cause a problem.
Mr. Guthrie doesn't do flowery stories about crime, featuring characters with straightforward lives touched by misfortune. There are no 'goodies' or 'baddies'. Slammer is the third of his books I have read. With this, like the others, I felt uncomfortable when I finished reading, once again shown the frailties of human nature. Nick Glass is introduced to us as a nervous, young man with a family to provide for - something he did not choose but made the best of - which is why he became a prison warden. Like many of us, he turns up at work each day and goes through the motions until it's time to return home, only to repeat the same routine again the next day.
I don't think I liked poor Nick much even before his troubles began. He doesn't get any more appealing as the book goes on but I was dragged along through the shadows, until it was too late; there was no escape. I watched with dismay wondering how things could get so out of control. Nick was conquered by his demons and so was I, the reader, in a way. It was with grisly fascination that I followed Nick along his path to self destruction.
It's a very sad, disturbing book. It demonstrates how easy it is to be led astray. It makes you wonder if we really aren't all creatures of circumstance. Life isn't meant to be predetermined. We have choice, don't we? Read it. It's a great book but don't expect a happy ending.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
If you're the kind of reader who needs to have a likeable main character, surrounded by at least a couple likeable supporting characters, then stay away, because these people all suck. I was gnashing-my-teeth-angry-and-frustrated with our "hero" by 50 pages, and it never improved . . . but then things started getting good. This is a twisted mind bender of a story, and as a reader one needs pay close attention to what is going on. What I like best is Guthrie's gift with dialogue; the man can write pages and pages of it without losing the reader, and it is always interesting.
A bleak, depressing story of a downward spiral. I wouldn't want to know any of these people, but I didn't mind reading about them one bit.
A bleak, depressing story of a downward spiral. I wouldn't want to know any of these people, but I didn't mind reading about them one bit.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
DISAPPOINTING
THIS IS THE FIRST ALLAN GUTHRIE BOOK I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO READ. DID NOT LIKE IT AT ALL. DID NOT FINISH IT.
Published 1 month ago by strimbee
Not 'The Sound of Music'
The book is stripped down and sparse and edgy and disorientating - oh and very entertaining.
The progress from where Nick Glass (young prison officer) starts and where he... Read more
The progress from where Nick Glass (young prison officer) starts and where he... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Michael Champion
Stole the forward
Guthrie creates a twisting labyrinth of a book that offers all his signature blood-racing energy, but with a deepening emotional heft that, by the end, leaves the reader... Read more
Published 1 month ago by EllieP
My All-Time Favourite Book. Ever.
Shocked. Stunned. Numb. That's how you may feel after reading this Allan Guthrie novel. SLAMMER is by far the best thing produced by this author to date - and this is no mean feat... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mandapanda121
not everyone has the same morals
Not everyone has the same morals. I suppose that explains the entire story. The violent approach to life illustrated throughout this book is to some extent understandable in a... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Aberter
I just didn't get it.
Maybe it's me because all the other reviews seem to know what Guthrie was getting at, but I couldn't work it out. Read more
Published 6 months ago by LouiseV
A real one-off - buy this book!
This is the first of Guthrie's books that I've read, but after it I'll certainly be checking out the rest of his back catalogue. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Bishbashboogie
Another cracker from Allan Guthrie
If you like easy reading and light hearted books, this is not one for you. Although this has humour throughout it is dark, gritty and disturbing. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Massey314
Slammed
I've heard Guthrie described as Scotland's king of the e-book.
Read this and you'll realise he simply the king of crime-fiction.
5 stars and more.
Read this and you'll realise he simply the king of crime-fiction.
5 stars and more.
Published 7 months ago by troutmask
Mindbending
If you've read any of my other reviews of Allan Guthrie's writing then you already know that I'm a huge fan. Read more
Published 7 months ago by McDroll
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