Dirty Tricks (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant black comedy
Review: A beautifully written book by a brilliant writer. Black humour is not everyone's cup of tea but this is well worth a read. Totally unlike most of Dibdin's books in style, this one shows him for the flexible talented genuis is is.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Opportunity
Review: Very often when a book is described as derivative or is almost a different version of a previous work, the reader should expect very little. "Dirty Tricks", by Mr. Michael Dibdin is very similar to, "The Book Of Evidence" by Mr. John Banville. The latter of the mentioned books was published first. The work was excellent and I commented on the book recently. I knew nothing of the similarity prior to my reading Mr. Dibdin's work, however there was no disappointment at all.

These are both very fine albeit different writers stylistically. Mr. Dibdin tends to be more straightforward; the reader knows where they stand when the work comes to the end. Mr. Banville's writing has been categorized as post modern. The latter label sounds a bit pretentious to me, however without denigrating the work of Mr. Dibdin Mr. Banville's work is more contemplative, he sets a more serious tone and asks more from his readers. I have read both Authors extensively and would say that Mr. Dibdin would appeal to a larger audience on the first reading while Mr. Banville is a more acquired taste. The extra effort is time exceedingly well spent.

Both works are almost entirely first person narratives that are conversationally directed at a group that will pass Judgement on the Narrator. Mr. Banville has commented that Narrators by definition are not to be trusted because of their view, so his character is confused and what is truth and what is fantasy is unclear. Mr. Dibdin's character is guilty of similar behavior in the eyes of the law but to a lesser degree. However Tim in, "Dirty Tricks", is by far the more repulsive.

Tim calculates everything, will exploit anyone, and is planning how to move from one conquest to the next before finishing with the first. Mr. Dibdin does a wonderful job of getting the reader to despise the individual in Tim's way, only to make you feel sympathetic for them when Tim gets his wish. Tim travels from a fairly witty academic trading pretentious comments about wine into a social climbing goldigger you will grow to hate.

The book is filled with great portraits of characters like Clive who spouts such spectacular nonsense about wine until you learn he has memorized, or once having imbibed a bit will refer to the notes that come with the wine he gets every month from the club to which he subscribes. The book is great fun even as it darkens. Mr. Dibdin does a remarkable job of taking Tim from a wannabee social climber; to one you want nothing more to do with in a fairly brief but wonderfully written tale. Please read both Authors as each has written a great book. Their structure may be alarmingly similar, but the reading experience is completely unique in each.