by Courttia Newland
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by Courttia Newland
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by Courttia Newland
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by Alex Wheatle
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by Courttia Newland
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Jaded private eye Erwin James's interest in justice in rekindled when the daughter of a prominent black MP is murdered. Was a sinister right wing party involved or was it the university lecturer with whom she was having an affair - or perhaps her Nation of Islam lover.A gripping thriller set in London's underworld by one of Britain's very best black writers. Highly recommended.
Ervine James is used to the sordid world of the private investigator, familiar with slinking round the estates of London's Brixton and Harlesden, greeting, with a weary knowingness, his sister's criminal boyfriend and his brother's crack habit. With little to sustain him, financially or spiritually, he seizes the chance to investigate the murder of Viali Walker, the daughter of a prominent black MP. He tries hard to avoid the obvious conclusion that she was killed by racists who had been stalking her, but when he instead finds that she too lived close to the seedy side of the tracks, he finds his will to carry on slipping away, almost for good when Viali's father is also murdered. The best PIs always seem sick of their job - it gives them a moral high ground above those who appear to relish the sleaze and dirt - and Courttia Newland has given us a man who is most certainly tired of life. And while there's a steady hand on the dialogue, there is something dispiriting about being in the company of someone so easily discouraged. A swift 'pull-yourself-together' would appear in order, and there's an occasional looseness in the plot (his hiring of a partner is rather too glib for comfort). Having said that, the gritty realism and knowledge of black London and its inhabitants is rare in a thriller and valuable in itself. There's a greater confidence in Newland when his characters are followers of the Nation of Islam than when dealing with white supremacists, but both add an extra layer of originality to what otherwise could have been a run-of-the-mill murder yarn. (Kirkus UK)
Ervine James is used to the sordid world of the private investigator, familiar with slinking round the estates of London's Brixton and Harlesden, greeting, with a weary knowingness, his sister's criminal boyfriend and his brother's crack habit. With little to sustain him, financially or spiritually, he seizes the chance to investigate the murder of Viali Walker, the daughter of a prominent black MP. He tries hard to avoid the obvious conclusion that she was killed by racists who had been stalking her, but when he instead finds that she too lived close to the seedy side of the tracks, he finds his will to carry on slipping away, almost for good when Viali's father is also murdered. The best PIs always seem sick of their job - it gives them a moral high ground above those who appear to relish the sleaze and dirt - and Courttia Newland has given us a man who is most certainly tired of life. And while there's a steady hand on the dialogue, there is something dispiriting about being in the company of someone so easily discouraged. A swift 'pull-yourself-together' would appear in order, and there's an occasional looseness in the plot (his hiring of a partner is rather too glib for comfort). Having said that, the gritty realism and knowledge of black London and its inhabitants is rare in a thriller and valuable in itself. There's a greater confidence in Newland when his characters are followers of the Nation of Islam than when dealing with white supremacists, but both add an extra layer of originality to what otherwise could have been a run-of-the-mill murder yarn. (Kirkus UK)
MARIE CLAIRE
‘ **** James Bond let loose in London’s Ladbroke Grove ... Newland’s writing is fuelled by a deep political unease’
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