- Paperback: 224 pages
- Publisher: Polygon An Imprint of Birlinn Limited (3 April 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1904598692
- ISBN-13: 978-1904598695
- Product Dimensions: 19 x 13 x 2.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,483,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'Allan Guthrie's debut novel cages spasm after spasm of hyperviolence within a frenzied 48-hour time frame. Set in Edinburgh, Two-way Split bears scant kinship with the middle-class mysteries and police procedurals that dominate the British contribution to the genre. Its genetic pool is American pulp fiction. The accent is on crime rather than detection. But there is no shortage of suspense and the tension ratchets up with each snatch of mayhem. Although the story is florid, the language is tight. Guthrie's style is speedy, dialogue-driven and cleverly structured, 'like an ivy with an instinct for geometry', as he describes scaffolding on a tenement ... The action is fuelled by vengeful hatreds, but the tone is tongue-in-cheek, tilting into Tom and Jerry levity.' Sunday Herald 'Excellent' George Pelecanos "As unsavoury characters clash in a complex but beautifully structured and paced plot, Guthrie has created a novel which is easily the match for any of the modern American masters of the noir genre." The Big Issue *****
George Pelecanos
Excellent!
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb Crime Novel,
By Untouchable (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Two-way Split (Paperback)
Every now and then I come across a book that takes me completely by surprise. I'm not sure what I was expecting when I picked up my copy of TWO-WAY SPLIT by Allan Guthrie although I had my suspicions it would involve the darker side of life. At least I was correct in that assumption. What I wasn't prepared for was the superb depiction of a group of troubled people unknowingly digging themselves deeper and deeper into terrible trouble.Robin Greaves, his wife Carol and her lover Eddie Soutar are robbers who are planning on robbing a post office in a daring daylight raid. Their plan, in order to get the cashiers to cooperate, is to utilise the two ingredients that they believe is common in all successful robberies: hostage taking and violence. It's not a perfect plan but it's a pretty good one and should have a good possibility of success. But a few ingredients are added to the set-up that not only tips the balance towards a more precarious outcome, but also turns the story into a melange of unexpected twists and turns. The first glimmer that all may not go smoothly comes when Greaves finds out through a private investigator that Carol and Eddie are having an affair. Understandably Robin doesn't take the news well and the simmering rage he harbours looks like it could bubble over at any moment. Possible problem number two is the revelation that Robin has already spent some time in a mental institution. In itself this wouldn't exactly be a problem, but we also know that he hasn't been taking some sort of medication for almost five months. When going into a tense situation carrying weapons, one wouldn't think that the ideal person to be watching your back is a betrayed husband, who may not be 100% mentally stable, would one? Another problem is that a man named Pearce, a recently released prisoner who has done time for murder is planning on visiting his mother at lunchtime. Oh yeah...his mother works in a post office. The final little fly in the ointment is the appearance of Don. (Keep an eye out for Don). Guthrie has chosen to tell this story along a timeline, heading each new chapter with a timestamp which serves to remind us just how quickly the events unfold. It's a wonderfully tough crime novel set in Edinburgh in a suitably sleazy part of town where the feeling of desperation simply oozes off the pages. Massage parlours, broken down tenements and dirty alleyways form the grim backdrop to this dark story of greed, violence and betrayal. There are no heroes in TWO-WAY SPLIT, in fact none of the main characters are particularly likable but what they lack in endearing personality they more than make up in complex obsessions. The gang of Robin, Carol and Eddie are doomed to fail from the start. What's unclear is just what character deficiency will be the one to ultimately trip them up. Pearce probably comes closest to hero status, at least displaying some sort of empathy with others. But he is also established as a man of extreme violence, much of it controlled and rather cold-blooded giving him a frighteningly dangerous air about him. And as for Don, well you'll just have to wait and read about him yourself. At only around 180 pages long, it is an extremely fast-paced book with not a word wasted on overly long descriptions of incidental details. From the build up of the robbery to the robbery itself and beyond to the thieves apartment den, this is a tightly woven story that flow together seamlessly as all the main players are drawn inexorably together for a thrilling finale. Although I've painted a picture of a rather dark story of violence, hatred and evil, it's a fascinating story that will keep you guessing as there is no telling in which direction Guthrie will take it next. From a simple robbery to a showdown of unbelievably unusual proportions, it's an engaging example of tartan noir that is very difficult to put down once picked up.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great read by a favorite author,
This review is from: Two-way Split (Paperback)
I first discovered Two-Way Split a bit over a year ago and it was my first foray into the dark wonderful mind that is Allan Guthrie. I quickly tracked down everything I could find, but Two-Way Split is as good a place to start out as any. Allan's work is lean and fast-paced, with great characters (like them or not) and snapping dialogue. If you're a fan of gritty noir, I highly recommend trying out Allan's work. Another favorite is Slammer, which easily made my list of top 10 reads of 2010 (which was full of great work). Highly recommended work and author.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
My Opinion is Split 50/50,
By Sam "samueltyler" (Reading, Berkshire) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Two-way Split (Paperback)
Crime drama does not always have to have a police officer or PI at its centre. Agatha Christie showed with Miss Marple that even a noisy old lady can get in on the act. What you don't see too often is a criminal being the investigator as is the case with Allan Guthrie's `Two Way Split'. The book centres mostly on Pearce, a man who has just come out of jail for murder. When tragedy hits he reacts like before and searches for revenge. However, in Guthrie's dark version of Britain the bad guys are not only bad, but mental. Pearce is after Robin Greaves, a schizophrenic who has been without medication for some time.
I really liked the tone that Guthrie painted with `Two Way'. Pearce was the perfect protagonist for this cynical and dark crime thriller. The sections that follow the damaged murderer really work and although he has a twisted sense of morality to really support him. This cannot be said of the sections surrounding the mentally ill Greaves. He is a developed character, but unfortunately confusing. Guthrie is not quite able to balance Greaves' breakdown with a narrative structure. I was becoming increasingly confused towards the end of the book as I did not know who was talking to who. Overall, it was a shame that the finale of `Two-Way Split' descended into confusion as the initial half showed real promise. Luckily for Guthrie the sections following Pearce were the highlights and make up some way for the more confusing elements. Pearce has gone on to appear in other books and I believe a mystery surrounding him will be a better novel and one that I look forward to reading.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews |
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
