Tuesday, November 11, 2014
The Original Stan The Man by Stanley Bowles with Ralph Allen and John Iona (Paper Plane Publishing 1996)
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Death Minus Zero by John Baker (Gollancz 1996)
He led them over to a Scorpio Auto on the other side of the car park. Blue job with black leather inside. Norman checked through the window to make sure there was some sound equipment inside. Using his bent coat hanger he had the thing open in about ninety seconds.
"How do you do that?" the youngest wigger asked.
Norman locked the car again and fitted his wire hook down inside the window frame. He fiddled for a moment, said, "Now you try."
The youngest wigger took hold of the coat hanger and jiggled it about.
"Just about there," Norman said. "You feel the little lever inside? Don't pull so hard. That's right, you can feel it moving."
"Yeah. I got it," the kid said.
"OK," Norman told him. "Push the handle in and pull it up slowly."
The door of the Scorpio opened. "Easier than a can of sardines," Norman said. He told the eldest kid to get his bag from the BMW. When he brought it Norman shoved it in the back of the Scorpio. "And the Tina Turner tape," he said.
"I've got something else to teach you," he said to the youngest wigger.
"What's that?" The kid was eager to learn everything this character could show him.
"Put your back here," Norman said, pointing to the door of a VW Camper. "And hold the door handle with both hands."
The kid did as he was told.
Norman came over and stood in front of him. "You got hold of it with both hands?" Norman asked.
The kid nodded and Norman butted him hard in the face. The little wigger dropped like a stone. His friend ran off down the car park, putting about seventy yards between himself and Norman. "You're a fast learner," Norman told him. The little wigger was sitting on the concrete shaking his head from side to side.
"That's the best lesson you've had today," Norman told him, retrieving his hundred and twenty pounds from the kid's pocket. "Don't forget it."
Norman left him there, got behind the wheel of the Scorpio and wired it to go. He waved to the elder wigger as he drove on past, slammed Tina into the tape deck, and stuck a chicken sandwich into his mouth.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Of Wee Sweetie Mice and Men by Colin Bateman (Arcade Publishing 1996)
"You know," said McClean, "I saw this for the first time way back in sixty-nine when I was at Queens University. It had been around for a good few years then, like, but we had this cinema club, a real fleabag joint. A brilliant film, brilliant, I was really enjoying it, but I couldn't for the life of me understand why David Lean had this little black bush in the bottom corner of every frame. It intrigued me for the whole of - what was it - three hours? This was the late sixties, like, the age of experimental film. I had dreams of being a filmmaker myself."
"A bit different from insurance, eh?" said McMaster.
"Yeah, well, boyhood dreams. But I thought Lean was such a master. I mean, there he was with this epic picture, millions and millions of dollars to make, looked like heaven, yet he has the balls to put a little black bush in the corner of every frame. I spent ages trying to work it out, the symbolism, the hidden meaning. It was a real enigma. Then it was over, the lights went up, and there was this bastard with a huge Afro sitting in the front row." He shook his head. "I should have killed him."
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Studs Terkel: A Life In Words by Tony Parker (Henry Holt and Company 1996)
It didn't take her long when I asked her for her recollections about poverty and unemployment in the twenties to start in about the 1926 General Strike. She was in London at that time and she was a girl of twenty-five. And as she told it, tears started to run down her cheeks, real tears. She said "Seeing all those people standing at street corners, no work for them, no money to buy food with, oh it was terrible, it broke your heart, it was so sad." Then she said "Wherever you went in London on the buses you know, you saw it everywhere, north of the river, south of the river, in the West End and the East End, it was all exactly the same." I said "But how come you could see them in so many places from the buses, weren't the buses on strike too?" "Oh yes" she said, "only like all the other young people, you know, me and my friends, we all volunteered to drive the buses to keep them running. Everyone needed them to get around, you see, you couldn't just let London come to a standstill, could you?" And all the guys with me you know, the camera crew and the soundmen and the lighting guys, they're all trade unionists, aren't they? They couldn't work in those jobs if they didn't belong to the different technicians' unions: I don't have to look around, I could hear the sound of the hair bristling up on the backs of their necks. And there she is, still crying and sniffing into her handkerchief and saying: "Oh all those poor people, seeing them looking so without hope like that, it was so sad, so sad." . . .
Boy, you've heard the expression "dumbstruck"? Well, every one of us, every single one, were struck dumb. We filed out of there without a word, and with her "Good-bye. Good-byyyee!" from the bedroom getting fainter and fainter in the background as we went down the stairs. Whether the television company ever included that interview in the series I wouldn't know. I shouldn't think they did, what with my incredulous questions, and I guess the film shaking more and more while the cameraman was shooting.
Memories of England, eh . . . ? Oh boy!
Monday, August 30, 2010
The Big Blowdown by George P. Pelecanos (St Martin's Press 1996)
"How much do you want us to collect?" said Recevo
"Forty ought to do it for now. We had a little communication problem in the past. Maybe he was kidding me, but I couldn't understand much of what the old guy said. Typical, with these immigrants - they don't even bother to learn the language."
That's because they've been too busy workin', tryin' to feed their families. Workin' like dogs, as if a dog could ever work that hard. Not that any of you snow-white bastards would understand the meaning of the word-
" . . . That's why I thought it might be a good idea for Karras here to go along. That sound good to you, Karras?"
Karras smiled and nodded. He thought he'd mix things up this time.
"Yeah," said Reed. "Karras and this Georgakos bird, they speak the same language. The two of them can sit around together all night and grunt."
Gearhart snorted, issued a gassy grin. Karra heard Reed strike a match to the Fatima behind his back. The smoke from it crawled across the room.
"Forty dollars," said Recevo, trying to cut the chill. "That should be a walk in the park, right, Pete?"
"Not a problem," said Karras.
"Hey, Karras," said Reed. "Be a good little coloured girl and fetch me that ashtray offa Mr. Burke's desk."
"I'll get it," said Recevo, but Karras held him back with his arm.
"I asked Karras to get it for me," said Reed.
Karras pointed his chin in the direction of Gearhart. "Ask Laird Cregar over there to get it for you, Reed. He's a little closer."
Gearhart's grin turned down. He didn't make a move for the ashtray, and neither did Reed.
Recevo drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. He shifted in his seat. "Mr. Burke, what should we do if this Georgakos gives us an argument?"
"He won't give you an argument," said Burke, keeping his eyes locked on Karras. "He wouldn't give an argument to a couple of boys who've seen the action you've seen. Would he?"
Burke himself had seen no "action", as he was on the brown side of thirty. But he had a brother who had fought in the European theatre, and being a veteran meant something to Burke. There were points to be had there, Karras figured, and some degree of slack.
"We'll take care of it", said Recevo, and he and Karras rose from their seats.
"Hey," said Reed. "I've got an idea. Maybe you ought to wear your uniforms over to the Greek's place. Wear your medals, too. Maybe that would help.
"Maybe you'd like to go with them," said Burke, with a touch of acid in his voice.
"Reed might have a little problem there," said Karras. He'd need a uniform, too. And the last time I checked, they weren't handin' out uniforms to Section Eights."
Reed stood from his chair, blood coloring his face.
"Hold it," said Burke. "You two can play if you want, but not in here."
"Guy kills a few Japs," muttered Reed, "thinks his asshole squirts perfume."
Burke raised his voice. "Shut your mouth, Reed, and sit down. You can thank me later."
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Quite Ugly One Morning by Christopher Brookmyre (Abacus 1996)
As Michael Portillo fearlessly said, in this country, as opposed to those wog-ridden foreign sties - I'm paraphrasing here, although only slightly - if you win a contract, it's not because your brother is a government minister or you blatantly bribed an official. Of course not. That would be corruption. In this country, you win contracts because you are "one of us", you went to the right school, give money to the right party, and have awarded an executive post to a member of the cabinet's family, or have promised a seat on the board to the appropriate minister when he resigns to spend more time with his bankers.
'We don't have anything as vulgar or primitive as a bribe. It's a matter of trust. For every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. For every contract, there's a kickback. It's more noble, more gentlemanly. A matter of mutual understanding. And very, very British.'
Sarah stared across, unimpressed. 'Once again, hot-shot, this much I know. Not an exclusive. Cut to the chase.'
'Fair enough. I got a bit of a reputation for myself through in Glasgow, sniffing out scams, investigating dodgy deals. But what I really wanted was to go after the big game down south, and I was head-hunted by one of the big broadsheet Sundays. I thought it would either make my career or turn out to be the worst move south by a promising young Scot since Charlie Nicholas. In the end it was both.
Friday, April 02, 2010
The Woman Who Walked Into Doors by Roddy Doyle (Penguin 1996)
Friday, February 19, 2010
Let It Bleed by Ian Rankin (St Martin's Paperbacks 1996)
Hundreds of jobs . . . spin-offs . . . happy, smiling faces. People like Salty Dougary, pride restored, given another chance. Did Rebus have the gall to think he could pronounce sentence on the future of people like that? People who wouldn't care who got away with what, so long as they had a paycheck at the end of the month?
Gillespie had died, but Rebus knew these men hadn't killed him, not directly. At the same time he hated them, hated their confidence and their indifference, hated their certainty that what they did was "for the good." They knew the way the world worked; they knew who - or, rather, what - was in charge. It wasn't anyone stupid enough to place themselves in the front line. It was secret quiet men who got on with their work the world over, bribing where necessary, breaking the rules, but quietly, in the name of progress, in the name of the system.
Shug McAnally was dead, but no one was grieving: Tresa was spending his money, and having a good time with Maisie Finch. Audrey Gillespie, too, might start enjoying life for the first time in years, maybe with her lover. A man had died - cruelly and in terror - but he was all there was on Rebus's side of the balance sheet. And on the other . . . everything else.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane (1996)
"You listen to Machinery Hall, Kev?" I said eventually.
Kevin stared and breathed through his nostrils.
"Good band," I said. "You should pick up their CD."
Kevin didn't look like he'd be dropping by Tower Records after our chat.
"Sure, they're a little derivative, but who isn't these days?"
Kevin didn't look like he knew what derivative meant.
For ten minutes, he stood there without saying a word, his eyes never leaving me, and they were dull murky eyes, as lively as swamp water. I guessed this was the morning Kevin. The night Kevin was the one with the charged-up eyes, the ones that seemed to pulse with homicide. The morning Kevin looked catatonic.
"So, Kev, I'm guessing here, but I'd say you're not a big alternative music fan."
Kevin lit a cigarette.
"I didn't used to be, but then my partner pretty much convinced me that there was more out there than the Stones and Springsteen. A lot of it is corporate bullshit, and a lot is overrated, don't get me wrong. I mean, explain Morrissey. But then you get a Kurt Cobain or a Trent Reznor, and you say, 'These guys are the real deal,' and it's all enough to give you hope. Or maybe I'm wrong. By the way, Kev, how did you feel about Kurt's death? Did you think we lost the voice of our generation or did that happen when Frankie Goes to Hollywood broke up?"
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Children of Albion Rovers edited by Kevin Williamson (Rebel Inc. 1996)
John was quiet for a bit. Then he said: Let's call our first child Leith.
My surname's Walker.
Well. mine's Keith.
Come on, finish your bridie and go back to work.
John got up and stood closer to Gillian. Your hair's just like the adverts, he said. It smells like turkish delight.