Layer Cake

Rating:
Summary: The best British crime novel I've ever read
Review: I first came across Connolly through a short story of his I quite liked in the Britpulp! anthology. With his fist full novel he delivers on that early promise with the best British crime novel I've ever read. While I often enjoy traditional procedurals like John Harvey's Charlie Resnik series, have been known to enjoy Agatha Christie in my younger days, Jake Arnott's The Long Firm and He Kills Coppers, and quite like a lot of the pulpy/noirish stuff put out by The Do Not Press these days-this leaves them all in the dust. The book follows an unnamed narrator over two weeks in 1997 as he plots to end his criminal days and retire on his thirtieth birthday-of course there's just that one last job to take care of...

The thing you notice right away is the language. Nonstop patter, stories, and more slang than you can shake a stick at. The rhythms of the language, both descriptive and dialogue, is perfect and unique. The best comparison I can make is with some of Irvine Welsh's stuff-it's English, but unlike any English you or I speak. And like Welsh's stuff, it can be hard to follow for those not up on the argot (especially cockney rhyming slang), so be warned. But if you like the language, you fall in love with the characters. Finally, some honest to god smart criminals who understand that being low-key is the smoothest path to riches. There must be at least fifty characters in the novel and Connolly gives each one a distinctive voice, even if they're only around for a page.

Once you've absorbed the amazing language and characterization, you'll be swept away by the authenticity. The entire book takes place in the criminal underworlds of London and Liverpool, with details on international drug trafficking, porn shops, killings, and on and on. The book immerses the reader in that world more so than any crime novel I've come across, and you have to wonder what Connolly's been up to in his life to be able to conjure such a setting from his head. It's not a world for the faint of heart, but one that's compelling to read about-more like The Long Good Friday than Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. Finally, there's the expert plotting. Built on that classic premise of a gangster looking to get out of the game, Connolly's plot twists and turns with complications that keep boxing in the narrator until the inevitable climax. From start to finish, it's the best novel about British organized crime around.

Rating:
Summary: Guess I should hop on the bandwagon fast
Review: I picked up this book on a whim during a recent trip to London and quickly became immersed in the mesmerizing 'layer cake' world of J.J. Connolly's 29-year-old nameless protagonist. It's neat to see Connolly's writing stretch to 300+ pages while artfully avoiding ever having to drop the character name in there somewhere.

And it's that writing that will keep you glued to 'Layer Cake' from the start. It takes you a bit - especially the US-raised reader - to adjust to the writing style (replete with Cockney rhyming slang - "I don't have a Scooby" you find out is "I don't have a clue"....Scooby = Scooby Doo = clue), but once you do, it's an enthralling ride.

Can't wait to see Matthew Vaughn - producer of Guy Ritchie's first two films - step into the director's chair on this one. Connolly was smart to tab Vaughn as "one of the few people in Britain who could get my movie made." It promises to be a good pairing.

Rating:
Summary: Crime 'Innit?
Review: The unnamed hero of this novel (who is also its narrator) is quietly doing well out of a crime racket in London until things change when the gangland boss Jimmy Price "asks" him to locate the missing daughter of his fellow boss Eddy Ryder. From then on, things get complicated - the task is not what it seems and our hero's neat world begins to unravel, exposing him to greater dangers and unwelcome surprises.

"Layer Cake" is another Brit crime novel: for those who've seen "The Long Good Friday" or "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" or who've read Jake Arnott's books, the setting and plot will seem familiar. Once again, you're taken to the harsh criminal underworld of London, where deceit and corruption reign and the best laid plans invariably go awry.

The language used in the book is harsh yet convincing, and for all its lack of originality, "Layer Cake" has great energy - you zoom along as the plot develops. As a piece of sheer entertainment, it works well. The ending though, was not a surprise.

G Rodgers



Rating:
Summary: Fast, furious and funny
Review: This first novel gets off to a zippy start and never lets up for a moment; with devious twists and turns, a cast of great (often mercurial, sometimes downright psycho) characters, and a whole lot of detail about the drug scene in England (which may or may not be accurate but certainly comes across with authenticity). Most North Americans, however, will find it difficult to comprehend, as Cockney rhyming slang and slang in general comprise so much of the book. That said, within its own context, there's an almost musical perfection to the cadence of the writing--especially the dialogue. The editing, however, leaves a great deal to be desired. There are far too many errors in maintaining spelling consistency and in simple grammar. But once into Layer Cake, it's one of those books that's all but impossible to put down. Most highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Snatch meets Dutch
Review: This novel comes across like a Guy Ritchie movie crossed with an book by Elmore Leonard. Very enjoyable and engaging. I'll have to check out the British movie when it hits Canada.