Synopsis/blurb.....
Malkie Thompson's got ambition. He'll do whatever it takes to get to the top and nothing's gonna stand in his way. Follow Thompson's rise to power from the backstreets of Glasgow to the industrial heartland of the Midlands. Join the rampage as Malkie and his crew blaze a trail of mayhem and destruction north and south of the border.
There will be blood, murder and mayhem. You’ve been warned.
A fast-paced 50-odd page tale of gangsters and criminality. Taut prose, with barely a word wasted. Newman gives us the rise of Malkie Thompson in 1988, moving in on Vinnie Edwards and his turf, much to our soon-to-be-deposed king-pin's chagrin and that of the local police with whom he has a tacit understanding.
Thomson pulls a job under Edwards' nose and causes some grief between Edwards and his pet poodle copper, DI Morrison. A stand-off between the two with guns isn't going to be good for business. One bent copper with embarrassing photographs and pressure from the hierarchy for a result and a return to a more peaceful climate. One annoyed gangster, suspecting that his paid-for-copper has crossed him and has something to do with the 60k job pulled on his patch.
Malkie Thomson's only just getting started. Newman takes us back to Glasgow and Malkie's rise in the Glaswegian underworld, before more grief down south as his business with Vinnie Edwards comes to a climax.Not many likable characters on display but an enjoyable tale of gangsters, violence, cunning and ambition. Lots to enjoy. Right up my reading alley.
4 from 5
Mark J. Newman has written a few more tales in his Crime Syndicate series, which I hope to read later this year. He has his website here. He's also on Facebook here and catch him on Twitter - @marknewmanwrit1
Read in January, 2017
Published - 2016
Page count - 51
Source - Amazon FREEBIE purchase
Format - Kindle
Right up your alley, not really mine, I'm getting off lightly this time. Probably just as well, I don't need more books!
ReplyDeleteGangsters and violent crime, gangs and turf wars....yes more me than you.
DeleteIt does sound interesting and it is set in Glasgow; those are both good points. But maybe too much violence and mayhem for me?
ReplyDelete50% Glasgow, 50% south somewhere in England - if the place was named I missed it. Possibly a bit too full on for you Tracy. Try Malcolm Mackay - his Glasgow books are crackers.
DeleteI do have his first book to try, Col. I keep putting it off because of the writing style. Present tense. But I will get there, I hope before the end of the year.
DeleteNote to self - make sure Tracy reads MM before December!
DeleteGlaswegian underworld? I'm assuming it's fictional. Either way it sounds like something I'd enjoy too.
ReplyDeleteFictional indeed, but like most big cities, Glasgow it has it's all too real dark side. FREE on Amazon I think if you fancy taking the plunge!
DeleteCol – Thanks for bringing this one to my attention. I like the short-form novellas published on Kindle. They are good introductions to writers.
ReplyDeleteElgin, I'm the same, you can discover some great (and not so great) writers without too much of a time investment.
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