For more than a few years I neglected reading British crime fiction in favour of more exotic settings like New York, Chicago, Florida and sunny California, not really wanting to read about locations and characters that were a lot closer to home.
Not quite sure what changed my outlook, but I’m now a
massive fan of Heatley and his British contemporaries…Paul D. Brazill, Tom Leins, Aidan Thorn, Keith Nixon, Martin Stanley, Nigel Bird, Mark J. Newman, Tess Makovesky – to mention just a few.
Heatley excels at the dark, the grim, the bleak and the violent;
relating sorry tales of outsiders, the down-trodden and the dispossessed. He’s
not likely to be everyone’s cup of tea, but I really like his work.
He’s a busy writer, with about a dozen titles to his name. He
seems to churn them out faster than I can read them. (Note to author – “SLOW THE
FUCK DOWN, MAN!”)
I’m currently batting about 6 from 12 on his oeuvre. These dirty half dozen have been enjoyed....
Three, The Mess, The Runner, Violent By Design and these two still
need to be devoured. If I’m going to be seasonal, the first might have to wait
until the last month of the year!
Paul Heatley has his website here.
Christmas Stockings
(2018)
Twas the night before Christmas...
And Santa Claus is getting wasted...
Sophia is waiting for her husband to get home...
Beth is glad hers is gone...
It's the night before Christmas, but there's plenty
stirring. There's sex and there's violence amongst these bad boys and girls,
and if they're not careful, they're all likely to end up on the naughty list.
Guillotine (2019)
After suffering a lifetime of tyranny under her father’s
oppressive rule, when Lou-Lou sees a chance to make a break with the man she
loves, she takes it. Problem is, daddy’s also known as Big Bobby Joe, a
dangerous and powerful man in the local area—powerful enough to put out a sixty
grand bounty on the head of the man she’s run off with, who also happens to be
one of his ex-employees.
With every criminal affiliate out looking for them, making
good on their getaway doesn’t seem promising. Even their so-called friends are
on the take, willing to pull a double-cross if that’s what’s going to turn them
a quick buck. But Big Bobby Joe hasn’t counted on his daughter's resolve to
distance herself from him. No matter what he throws at her, no matter what he
does, she’s going to get away—or die trying.
Praise for GUILLOTINE:
“A missing girl, a father who wants her back, a hitman. You
think you know where this story is going, but in Paul Heatley's masterful
hands, Guillotine never takes the expected path. Full of crackling dialogue,
characters whose actions surprise you at every turn, and an ending you'll be
thinking about for days after.” —Hector Acosta, author of Hardway
Praise for PAUL HEATLEY:
“Paul Heatley is one of the most compelling writers
currently working in the UK.” —Tom Leins, author of Repetition Kills You
“Heatley has an adept ear, and he's got the writer's chops
to translate what he hears.” —Matt Phillips, author of Accidental Outlaws
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*Paul was a participant in one of my favourite author interviews back in July 2017.
These do sound like potent, punchy reads, Col. And sometimes, it's those 'down and out' stories that can be the most compelling. Hope you'll enjoy these. I know what you mean, too, about changing tastes in reading, too. I think we all do that over time.
ReplyDeleteThere is a hard edge to his work, Margot. And yes you're correct in noting how we all evolve over time. I think music might be the same. I don't always listen to the same things I did 10 years ago.
DeleteThese look good. Another author whose work I shamefully haven't read. :(
ReplyDeleteCheers, you might enjoy his work squire.
DeleteI might be interested in Christmas Stockings, but I will let you read it first.
ReplyDeleteI think that one might suit you better than the other. We'll see later in the year!
DeleteI have not been reading many British or European mysteries (with Brexit looming will the U.K. be considered a part of Europe for crime fiction?) lately. I have been running out of reading time getting through North American writers. Maybe more time for the Rest of the World next year.
ReplyDeleteBill, thanks for stopping by again. Good question - not if the Brexiteers get their way, I suspect. I think my recent reads have been mostly limited to the UK and the US, with a smattering of Canada, SA and Australian. I really ought to read more from the rest of Europe. I don't think there will ever be enough time to read everything I want to.
DeleteCol – I’ve only read MOTEL WHORE, but have more of his work on the Kindle.
ReplyDeleteI really like his stuff, Elgin though you do need a strong constitution to get through it.
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