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!
The Big Issue
A novel which is easily the match for any of the modern American masters of the noir genre
Bullet Magazine
A stone cold classic...the most exciting novel I've read since Ellroy put out White Jazz all those years ago.
Ian Rankin
Seek him out and buy his book.
Product Description
Robin Greaves is an armed robber whose professionalism is put to the test when he discovers his wife has been sleeping with a fellow gang member. Greaves plans the ultimate revenge, but things go from bad to worse when the gang bungles a post office robbery, leaving carnage in their wake. Suddenly they are stalked by the police, sleazy private eyes and a cold-blooded killer who may be the only one not looking for a cut of the money. Allan Guthrie is one of crime fiction's toughest new writers, with an outstanding ear for dialogue, a sharp sense of humour and a breathless pace. Get gripped.
About the Author
Allan Guthrie was born in Orkney, and now lives in Edinburgh. He is married to Donna and works as a bookseller. He has published several short stories in a variety of magazines and anthologies. Allan is webmaster/editor of Noir Originals and commissioning editor for both Pulp Originals and PointBlank Press. Film and TV rights have already been sold. Kiss Her Goodbye, his second thriller, is published in April 2006.
