Wednesday 14 August 2013

DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI - THE WHEELMAN


Synopsis/blurb.......

Meet Lennon, a mute Irish getaway driver who has fallen in with the wrong heist team on the wrong day at the wrong bank. Betrayed, his money stolen and his battered carcass left for dead, Lennon is on a one-way mission to find out who is responsible--and to get back his loot. But the robbery has sent a violent ripple effect through the streets of Philadelphia. And now a dirty cop, the Russian and Italian mobs, the mayor's hired gun, and a keyboard player in a college rock band manoeuvre for position as this adrenaline-fuelled novel twists and turns its way toward its explosive conclusion.

One thing's for sure: This cast of characters wakes up in a much different world by novel's end--if they wake up at all.

About 4 hours of fun reading this in the one sitting on Sunday afternoon. I read this originally back in the late 2000’s and rated it a 4 on my own little scoring chart. Selected as my Goodreads Pulp fiction group’s monthly read for August, I was initially tempted to give it a miss because of my previous reading. Bu then as the book was available relatively cheaply second hand I thought why not?

Glad I did to be honest as second time around it ticked more boxes for me than it managed to a few years ago. Fast and frenetic with an intriguing main character and a decent support cast of double-crossing gangsters, corrupt cops, Russian Mafiya and Italian wise-guys. Horrible people doing horrible things interspersed with mainly “decent” people forced to do horrible things......lovely!

It is unlikely that I will enjoy another book as much as this one this month, but hey I live in hope! (But will probably die in despair...)

5 from 5


Obtained second hand from Abe books recently.

10 comments:

  1. Col - I have to say, I love the Philadelphia setting. It's a great background for bringing together those characters. Or maybe I'm just drawn to it because I spent much of my adult life there, so it seems like home. Anyway, glad you enjoyed this one.

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    1. Margot, thanks. I believe DS is from the mean streets of Philly, or at least was residing there when he wrote this - an authentic portrayal then.
      He is/was editor at one the city's papers a few years ago. I think his writing career has been on an upward curve ever since this one.

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  2. I already own this one. Five star read eh? I'll push it up a little.

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  3. Sounds right up your street and not up mine. Glad you enjoyed it though!

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    1. Moira, I think you're right, but I'll keep trying to convert you!

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  4. I loved this book. It hurtles along at a ferocious pace, the dialogue is snappy, there's loads of action, almost every scene contains a twist. It would make a great movie.

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    1. It ticked all the boxes for me Rob. More enjoyable than his first few if I'm honest.

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  5. This is an author that I have wondered about. If I see any of his books at the book sale I will pick one or two up.

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    1. Tracy, hope you cross paths with him. His Charlie Hardie series is fun, even though I've only read the first of three.

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