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The Drop
 
 

The Drop [Kindle Edition]

Howard Linskey
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)

Print List Price: £7.99
Kindle Price: £3.83 includes VAT* & free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
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Product Description

Review

'writing that leaps off the page in its lacerating forcefulness...' --Vic Buckner, Crime Time

'a brutal, hard-hitting debut which opens up Newcastle's dark, violent underbelly like a freshly-sharpened stiletto' --Simon Kernick

'a razor-sharp debut. A writer to keep an eye on.' --Nick Quantrill, Harrogate Festival website

'A cracker of a tale unrolled with great understatement but loaded with verve and pace. A real winner. ' --Adrian Magson, Shots

The Drop is overflowing with the grit that defines the very best of British gangster fiction.
--Bookgeeks.co.uk, April 15, 2011

The Drop is overflowing with the grit that defines the very best of British gangster fiction. It is stark and unflinching, but always utterly enthralling. As the tale reaches its shattering climax, even the most reserved reader will struggle to read the book without a whitening of the knuckles.
--bookgeeks - Mike Stafford - April 11th 2011

Product Description

Geordie' Cartwright has disappeared, along with Bobby Mahoney's money. I have to find him and fast, or it's going to be my face staring into the business end of a nail gun'

David Blake is no gangster, or so he likes to think. He's a white-collar criminal, working for gangster Bobby Mahoney, enjoying the good life while the money keeps on pouring in. Trouble is, a big chunk of that money has just gone missing, along with Geordie Cartwright, and Blake is getting the blame.

Has Geordie done a runner with The Drop or has he been killed by a rival gang? As Blake goes deeper into the Newcastle underworld, a seedy and violent place filled with dodgy clubs, pubs, lap-dancing bars and brothels, he slowly starts to uncover the truth; there's a rat in Bobby's crew and someone else is planning a take-over. Meanwhile the Serious Organised Crime Agency and an ambitious DI are both closing in on Bobby. It's just a matter of time before he's finally nicked for good. Blake must uncover the truth before it's too late for them all.

If that were not enough, he has to choose between his girlfriend, the beautiful lawyer Laura and the impossible-to-resist Sarah, his boss's gorgeous young daughter. Sarah might just be the most dangerous person in his life right now, if her dad finds out.

In a desperate and bloody finale, Blake has to make an agonising choice and someone has to pay the ultimate price in The Drop.

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 606 KB
  • Print Length: 323 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1842433946
  • Publisher: No Exit Press (31 Mar 2011)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1842433946
  • ISBN-13: 978-1842433942
  • ASIN: B00796E5Z4
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Not Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #15,297 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Debut from new British writer... 13 May 2011
Format:Paperback
This is a very confident debut from Howard Linskey who has painted a vivid and realistic picture of the darker side of Newcastle. Written from the perspective of David Blake, who over time has deluded himself that he is a "white collar criminal" above and morally aloof from the violent activities of his colleagues, it charts his free-fall into a world of shit when "The Drop" of the title goes missing, along with its courier. Linskey manages to introduce a diverse cross section of characters - from the Newcastle Mr. Big through to the head of the shady organization the aforementioned Drop should have landed with via an array of foot soldiers on the streets of Newcastle. He portrays this world perfectly - or at least what I imagine this world to be like. The bottom line is you believe that there are people like this out there.

Linskey manages the neat trick of making you empathise with the "hero" of the story - although he is hardly a model citizen - and you always hope that he navigates his way through the murky world he is in. The pace of the book never flags and there are enough twists in the story to keep even the most hardened reader of the genre guessing what the denouement will be.

Whilst the obvious parallels with "Get Carter" will be drawn by many, it reminded me as much of "The Long Good Friday" in its depiction of gangsters unable to fathom out what is going on around them and who is pulling the strings behind the meltdown of their operation. I'd recommend this for anybody who would enjoy a story written in an engaging style, with a realistic plot, punchy dialogue and a dash of humour.

Whilst this is a cracking crime thriller, I think it is above all else a story about Newcastle - its good, bad and ugly.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Read In Ages!! 18 April 2011
By James
Format:Paperback
This is a great book, I could not put it down! The characters are really engaging and I was hooked all the way to the end with some superb writing....it has a great British gangster feel about it dove tailed with clever "Goodfella" type moments.....the main character David Blake is a cool gangster living a glamorous life, but the writer pulls no punches when things go wrong showing the fear and violence hooked up in the mob...

This is a great read....I even bought my Dad a copy as he is a prolific reader of crime books and he loved it......high praise indeed!!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Drop is the ultimate page turner. It coarses through your veins and has the heart racing from the off with its visceral portrayal of the Geordie underworld. Linskey has masterfully crafted all the elements of a rip roaring crime thriller with a superbly intelligent plot which shocks the reader to the core. The depiction of the main character's powerful rise, whilst descending into the underbelly of the criminal fraternity he tries to separate himself from through self delusion, is brilliant. All the characters lurch off the pages at you in 3D as the treachery, intrigue, lust and violence oozes through the pores of a sizzling script. They say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer.... leave The Drop alone...and you'll be watching your back forever!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Wallop! 19 Jun 2012
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
David Blake isn't really a gangster, although his boss Bobby Mahoney most certainly is. Blake is the more legitimate side of Mahoney's gangland empire.

One of Blake's business responsibilities is 'The Drop'. The delivery of cash to someone very powerful and very influential.

But when Blake's heads back to Newcastle, after an idyllic trip to Thailand with his yuppie-lawyer girlfriend, he is confronted by Finney, one of Mahoney's more psychotic henchmen, who tells him that The Drop didn't happen. And it's all Blake's fault.

And it all goes pear shaped from then on in.

The Drop is the blistering début novel from Howard Linskey. An intense, violent, story of life in the north of England's underworld, peppered with keenly observed details, sharp dialogue and strong characters.

The Drop is a cracking, well paced and gripping crime novel that has me keen to get stuck into Linskey's recently published follow up,The Damage.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Best Books To Read TOP 100 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book was recommended to me by a fellow reader, and I am extremely glad that I took their advice! Howard Linskey released this, his debit novel in April 2011 and his follow up book is due for release in April 2012.

It takes less than two chapters for me to be utterly engrossed in this book. David Blake is a gangster, except he isn't your ordinary violent and ruthless man. He is somebody that has worked his was on to Bobby Mahoney's firm by giving his sound judgement on things and proving his loyalty. When David returns from his holiday, he gets news that Bobby is not a happy man. David, who is head of Bobby's security, has managed to leave an important drop to another man in the firm who, it seems, has disappeared off the face of the planet. Pretty soon David realises that he has to find the money and the person responsible.

I really liked David Blake from the off and as he races to find the people who have Bobby's money I found myself liking him even more. This was not your typical gangster that roughs everybody up; he merely asks politely and leaves the roughing up to his colleague Finney. The story has a relentless kind of pace as David uncovers more and more things that aren't quite right.

Although David is the main character, we meet a hell of a lot more along the way, all who make the story that little bit more interesting. Bobby, David's boss features heavily as does Bobby's young daughter Sarah. We also see some of the other people who are either on the firm or were once part of it. The characters and storyline kept me turning pages late into the night.

There is actually an underlying humour to this book too which I loved. The setting up in Newcastle was done perfectly, with no overkill on either the accent or the place.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read
Well written, good storyline with a plot that keeps you guessing. Definitely good value for money would recommend to a friend.
Published 15 hours ago by Suze
5.0 out of 5 stars "Gripping Stuff"
The Drop had me hooked from the first page to the last, if you like your gangster stories to be based in the UK rather than the streets of a US City this is the book for you. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Michael Chesterton
3.0 out of 5 stars Switch brain off and action
This book reads like a low budget action film - but I don't mean this in a negative way. Sometimes I just want to read nonsense action and 'The Drop' kept me turning the pages at... Read more
Published 1 day ago by J. Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent thriller
I had read The Damage and enjoyed and so bought The Drop immediately. I found this to be better and would have enjoyed The Damage more if I had read them in order. Read more
Published 1 month ago by U. Thakkar
5.0 out of 5 stars A Gritty Brit-crime thriller
The Drop is set in Newcastle and the story is told from the perspective of David Blake, an organizer and ideas man for Bobby Mahoney the Mr Big of the criminal underworld. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Robin Webster
4.0 out of 5 stars new thriller based in newcastle
the drop...ordered this book after reading his second novel in this series. The main character is a criminal based in newcastle which gives the storyline a different twist, i... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mr. P. A. Dodsworth
3.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad read, but..........
My enjoyment of this book was spoiled by the very poor punctuation. I don't know whether this is down to the author or editor, but I can't count the number of times I had to... Read more
Published 3 months ago by I. Craze
5.0 out of 5 stars The Drop, Howard Linsky
Heard about this just by overhearing the author. It was a great read and I shall download more from Howard. Good price, instant delivery to my Kindle
Published 4 months ago by Terry Heath
5.0 out of 5 stars Canny Man
i noticed a strange thing about halfway through the book: I realised the characters' voices (in my head) actually had Geordie accents! The dialogue wasn't laboured - just genuine. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Modoki
4.0 out of 5 stars New name on the block
Excellent debut from new kid on the block Howard Linskey,cracking read and would appeal to readers and fans of Simon Kernick.
Published 5 months ago by Daz
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