The Crew [Kindle Edition]

The Crew is Dougie Brimson's first novel, following a series of books on the subject of football hooliganism written with his brother Eddy. Once again, the territory covered relates to the violence that surrounds football. This time, however, things aren't for real--still, the characters and story line seem real enough, especially for those familiar with any of the tales told in the author's factual volumes. Marrying the football violence theme with a well-established genre, Brimson turns his tale into a thriller. Using the master hooligan and the police detective as counterpoints, he weaves a believable and gripping story line, truly guaranteed to keep the pages turning. With the villain of the piece painted black from the word go, the chase is always on. What follows is well thought out, though the ending does not necessarily deliver all the promise of earlier chapters. Perhaps Brimson is just waiting to launch a sequel. Nonetheless, even if a tale of a group of hooligans travelling to watch England in Rome might cut a little close to the bone, The Crew will undoubtedly provide much enjoyment for fans of suspense, albeit in a new context, as well as those whose somewhat more macabre interest has been held by the author's previous books. --Trevor Crowe

A winning goal for Dougie Brimson (Lynda La Plante )

Punchy dialogue between overworked detectives and cool, calculating gangsters which finishes with a big, technicolour scrap (Sunday Times )

More twists than a Roger Milla goal celebration ... A classic tale (Total Football )

APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEPTIVE - as Paul Jarvis of the National Football Intelligence Unit is only too well aware. He knows that Billy Evans is no ordinary East End lad made good. He's also a thug, a villain and a cop killer. Jarvis just hasn't been able to prove it... Yet.

So when Jarvis discovers that Evans is putting together a hooligan 'Super Crew' to follow England to Italy, he feels sure he can finally put Evans behind bars - if only someone can infiltrate the Crew and get him the proof he needs.

But nothing is ever that simple. The Crew believe Evans is just out for a full-on riot. Jarvis thinks he's trafficking drugs. But Billy Evans is always one step ahead. He has another plan. And it will be catastrophic for everyone concerned.

EXCEPT HIM.

A gripping debut novel from the master of the hooligan genre
The Crew is Dougie Brimson's first novel, following a series of books on the subject of football hooliganism written with his brother Eddy. Once again, the territory covered relates to the violence that surrounds football...The Crew will undoubtedly provide much enjoyment for fans of suspense, albeit in a new context, as well as those whose somewhat more macabre interest has been held by the author's previous books. --Trevor Crowe

The central character in The Crew is Billy Evans; a successful car trader from Romford who has a darker side to his nature; he is a football hooligan. Using violence as a tool, Billy has worked his way up to a position of power within the hooligan hierarchy and now heads one of the most notorious and well organised groups in England. But for him, violence is only a means to an end. He has other ambitions, and not all of them involve football either. His adversary is Detective Inspector Paul Jarvis of the National Football Intelligence Unit (NFIU). He is well aware of Billy’s involvement with organised hooliganism, but more importantly, he also blames him for the murder of a fellow officer during a disturbance at Euston station some years before. The problem is, Jarvis has never been able to prove anything. But he has sworn that he will never give up trying until he does. During the build up to an international fixture involving England and Italy in Rome, Jarvis finds out that Billy Evans is recruiting a gang of hooligans to stage a repeat of the 1995 Dublin riot. With this information at hand, he manages to infiltrate the group and sets out to get the evidence to finally put Billy Evans behind bars. However, things are not as they seem. Billy is up to something and Jarvis is about to find out that not only is Rome a long way from London, anything can happen during the journey. The Crew is about the lengths two men on opposite sides of the law will go to, and the risks they will take, to achieve their own aims. It involves deception, double-cross, violence and racism and builds to an astonishing climax which ultimately ends in disaster. But for who?

Dougie Brimson is a former football hooligan who spent 18 years in the RAF. This is his first novel.