Another new author and someone I hadn't heard of until quite recently, when I saw a copy of Box in a charity shop. Seemed interesting so why not? I did a bit of hunting and also saw he had written Snap, which had a decent review for it on Amazon.Never one to shy away from acquiring more books, than I can sensibly read in the rest of the lifetime and probably the next, I bought it.
I did try and do a bit of google searching for some detail on the author, but there appear to be a couple of Mark Powell's with books to their name. Whether they are one and the same person or whether they are two entirely separate and distinct authors I'm not too sure. One of the Mark Powell's has been writing action thriller books and recently attracted a bit of publicity for sort of claiming to have been in the SAS only for it to have been revealed that he wasn't. Was it my fellah? No idea.
Snap and Box were penned in the early 2000's.
Snap
When East sees the twisted body of Girl Garner at the bottom of the stairs, he knows that the Garner boys will blame him for the death of their sister. The Garners were his closest mates - now they are his enemies, and he knows he has to run But East can't leave West, his younger brother, whom he has always protected and whose face is distorted by a cruel - and unmissable - disease. With West in tow, East flees into the wilds of Essex, not knowing if they will ever be able to return home, and not suspecting that West might have his own reasons for wanting to get away. Stranded in unknown territory, the brothers are vulnerable to new fears and new desires. And the past is pursuing them in the form of a hitman ... Mark Powell's exciting debut is more than a nailbiting story of gangsters and guns. It explores the nature of a troubled love more deep and enduring than romantic passion - the love between two brothers.
Box
Stanley dreams of making it big as a DJ, playing the all-nighters with his sidekick Clive; Pow-Wow's as tough as the next kid, patrolling the streets with his gang; Sylvia just wants to escape from the grind of looking after her ageing mother. When Clive and Stanley join forces to establish a male escort agency, the situation hots up... This is a picture of inner city London. Mark Powell has created a gritty, contemporary landscape filled with a vibrant cast of characters, from wannabe gangsters to professional psychics. Slick, fast-paced and surprisingly tender, BOX is an engrossing window on contemporary London as well as a satisfying page-turner.
If you ever get round to reading them, I will read your reviews with interest, but until then you are on your own. At gunpoint (quite likely by the sound of the books) I would choose Box, because of the professional psychics and male escort agency, which sound intriguing.
ReplyDeleteApparently he did 6 months of research into the world of male escortery......whatever that means? Interested on looker or getting first hand experience, I don't know as I didn't want to dig any deeper. I'm quite a sensitive soul at heart.
DeleteMe too, Col. I'd be interested to know what you think of them. I bought a couple of used novels recently though I don't know when I'm going to read them.
ReplyDeletePrashant - I hope at some point this year to have crossed paths with you as far as reading matter is concerned - Gramlich and Granger spring to mind. I'll have to dig through the piles again next week, to see if I can tempt you with a couple more from the unread ranks.
DeleteCol, you can't go wrong with Charles Gramlich and Bill Granger's books. Charles specialises in fantasy and horror among other genres. Two different but very good writers.
DeleteFantasy and horror aren't two genres I go out of my way to read. I'll see how I go with his Western stories for now. You ought to encourage him to write more of them!
DeleteCol - I'll be really interested in what you make of these. As for me, I think I'll wait until you review them..
ReplyDeleteMargot thanks, might be waiting a while, but I'll read them eventually!
DeleteWell, another couple of interesting looking books I'll need to put on the list. Availability at Amazon US might be an issue but there are other ways. Neat covers.
ReplyDeleteThanks Glen. I prefer the look of Snap going by the cover. Shame my internet photo grab is a bit out of focus. I ought to make my 2015 reading aim to clean up all my 2 BY's, rather than burying them again.
DeleteWell, since Glen might give these a try... I can wait and see what either one of you says about them before I even think about them. UK setting does make them appealing.
ReplyDeleteI am just back from my trip and decompressing.
I hope you won't be waiting too long. Glad you made it back safely, hope it went well under the circumstances.
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