2 from G. F. Newman - another author on the pile, with some interesting books offering a bit of Brit-Grit crime
Both books are from the late 70s and are concerned with LAW and ORDER. They form part of a trilogy along with A DETECTIVE'S TALE. The books were the basis for some TV plays which aired on the BBC in 1978. The programmes were controversial because of the premise that the police and justice system was essentially corrupt.
Newman has written over twenty five books in all, but I doubt I'll get around to all of them.
A VILLAIN'S TALE (1977)
THERE'S MORE TO LAW AND ORDER THAN YOU'LL EVER READ IN THE PAPERS...
Jack Lynn was a veteran blagger. Armed robbery was his dangerous trade and he knew the risks he took. But one risk no villain can fully guard against is getting fitted by the CID when they think someone's overdue. Lynn was overdue, according to Detectvie Inspector Fred Pyall. Whether or not Lynn had a blag set up at the moment, he was going to have a hard time keeping out of nick now that Pyall was after him....
No other author writes of the underworld and the close professional relationships between police and criminals with such total authenticity as G. F. Newman, bestselling author of Sir, You Bastard. Always controversial and compellingly readable, Newman takes the reader to the heart of the brutal world of crime as it is really committed, with no false glamourizing of the actions of villains or police. A Villain's Tale (together with the two other novels in the trilogy of which it forms a part) will open the eyes of every reader who has ever wondered about the truth that hides behind the bland words of the crime reports in the newspapers.
A PRISONER'S TALE (1977)
Jack Lynn had been well and truly fitted by the filth. And he'd been sentenced to twenty years as a consequnence. But Lynn wasn't going to lie still for it. He was going to fight the system every inch of the way, and in every way he knew. Which, in a brutal prison system where lip service is paid to "rehabilitation" but the real name of the game is repression, was a very dangerous strategy. Not that Lynn had much to lose. Or so he thought...
A Prisoner's Tale uncompromisingly plunges the reader into the world of the modern prison system for one of the most shocking and eye-opening reading experiences of his life. Here, in the form of a savageky compelling novel of desperate men in a desperate situation, is more essential truth about the violent reality of prison existence than could ever be found in a hundred official reports. This outstanding novel concludes G. F. NEWMAN's frighteningly authentic 'Law and Order' trilogy with stunning force.
These do sound like tough, uncompromising reads, Col, and of their times, too. It's interesting that the idea that the police might be corrupt was so controversial then, and is a commonly-accepted theme for a novel now.
ReplyDeleteFunny how times change. I don't know if it would have been so controversial if it hadn't been aired by the BBC. They are/were regarded as a British establishment institution.
DeleteThese definitely sound like your kind of books, Col, but not mine. The covers are interesting, though.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tracy, very much of their time. I'm looking forward to them.
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