60’s low life – gangsters, sex, drugs, glamour, violence, wonderful characters and terrific pace.  Told by four people who each have a different slant on the gay gangland boss, Harry Starks, and topped and tailed by the man himself, this is highly recommended.

Comparison: David Peace, Simon Kernick, Nicholas Blincoe.

Synopsis

London. The 1960s. The capital is swinging, but underneath the boomtown there`s a dark underbelly. Meet Harry Starks: club owner, racketeer, porn king, sociology graduate and keen Judy Garland fan. Harry`s business is fronting violence with rough charm and cheap glamour; putting the frighteners on, performing menace while desperately trying to jump the counter into legitimacy.

Five characters tell five tales that combine in an extraordinary narrative that is both an explosively paced thriller and a brilliantly imagined sociological and topographical portrait of sixties London.

Reviews

'Outstanding...Arnott's recreation of the decadent, dangerous atmosphere of the times is immaculate.' - Observer

'One of the smartest, funniest and most original novels you will read all year.' - John Tague, Independent on Sunday

'Gripping...slumming it doesn't get much better than this' - Mark Sanderson, Time Out

About the Author

Jake Arnott was born in 1961, and lives in London. He worked as a labourer, a mortuary technician, a theatrical agent's assistant, an artist's life model and a sign language interpreter before his debut novel, THE LONG FIRM, was published by Sceptre in 1999 to huge public and critical acclaim. HE KILLS COPPERS and TRUECRIME  followed to equal acclaim in 2001 and 2003, and in and in 2004 THE LONG FIRM  was made into a widely-praised television series by the BBC. Photograph © Nigel Spalding   More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation