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Snakeskin
 
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Snakeskin (Paperback)

by Courttia Newland (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Abacus (4 April 2002)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0349115095
  • ISBN-13: 978-0349115092
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.6 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 535,146 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #11 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > N > Newland, Courttia

Product Description

Review
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)

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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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:    (0)
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 (1)
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling URBAN journey, 30 Nov 2004
I have never read a Cortia Newland book before, but after a friend recommened me one of his previous works i decided to read his latest.

Dectictive stories never really keep me guessing for long, and to be honest you kinda know who done it towards the end of this book too.
But the journey Eirvine takes to discover the truth is amazing, exploring lots of aspects of youth culture and racial attitudes, and also Ervines own self discovey.

The book never feels likes its strugelling, even when Ervin clearly is, Newland's wrting style is natural and easy to read.

I dont want to say anymore about the book bcs I think discovering it for the first time relishes the experience.

If you like modern urban fiction, full of action, suspense and drama, then this is a must read.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A very different but nevertheless good book, 2 Mar 2004
By Ms. E. Blankson "emma_vampire" (london) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
The book is a very unexpected change for the author as the previous books are based on london estates. however though a unexpected change it is nevertheless a good change showing two extrems of the races and displaing neither in a glorified light showing in the end a true reflection of some parts of london, whilst developing the character through the book into someome who you not only like to read about but also believe in. to conclude: the story is very well written and it comes to an unexpected and very exciting ending that i never would have guessed. all in all a very good book.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Street-wise black PI doesn't quite cut it, 18 May 2002
By A Customer
There's a glaring gap in the market for a black British crime writer. On this showing Courttia Newland's a good part of the way there. His London and its characters are razor-sharp, vivid and bang up-to-date. The evil right-wing racists are just too close to home in the present climate. The problem, though, is his ex-soldier hero Ervine James. Ervine is decidedly one-dimensional, and it's hard to say sometimes whether his trite observations are characterisation, or the author struggling with the crime genre.
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