Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #94162 in Books
• Published on: 2001-03-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
A house burglar's memoirs might well be pushing the boundaries of public taste and common decency but make no mistake, The Burglar Diaries is truly a work of comic genius. Look beyond the coarse language and outrageous designs on life and you've got a real diamond of a novel just ripe for the taking.

Danny King writes like a foul-mouthed jack the lad who also happens to possess irresistible storytelling skills and a wicked sense of humour. Bex, the chief protagonist, has long given up on the idea of a straight office job and is content to get by on dodgy dealings and botched jobs, but occasionally he does give in to the odd scruple. For example, despite the encouragement of his hapless mate Ollie, our narrator refuses to extract money from a kiddie's piggy bank and passes up the opportunity to cash in on a wedding ring belonging to a recently deceased old lady. He further redeems himself when, naturally in the line of "duty", he exposes firstly some neglectful parents and later an evil paedophile ring--exploits that earn him a hero's mention in the local 'paper. That said, this is far from a tale of robbing the rich to feed the poor and while Bex is a hugely entertaining creation, his chosen profession will not endear him to every reader.

King's first book is a devilishly funny insight into the mind of a petty criminal with hilarity at every turn. The Burglar Diaries, a remarkable debut from a man with a bright future on the "outside", looks set to ignite a cracking series. --David Thwaites

Synopsis
The first-person account of petty thief Bex: a bit of a geezer, who, with long-time partner-in-crime Ollie, just about gets by on the money he makes from house-breaking in small-time suburbia.

Customer Reviews

Amoral, chauvinistic, crude, rude and totally compelling.
If liberal usage of the "f" word or "c" word offends you, read no further; and if you've ever been burgled, I'm not sure you will get into the spirit of the thing.

If none of the above puts you off, you're in for a treat. Bex, the burglar of the title, has been a moderately successful burglar but now has a story to tell, and he tells it as it is, including all his f***-ups and lots of other people's c***-ups. If you can put your moral indignation on hold, you will cheer at narrow escapes and laugh out loud at razor sharp wit and great anecdotes. The prison tea schedule is a classic. From the moment you meet Bex and his mate Ollie on a job that goes disastrously wrong because there is no bog paper in the loo, the plot unwinds cleverly towards a finale where doing the wrong thing might just turn out to be the right thing.

The Burglar Diaries may have four Fs, three Cs and a couple of wankers on each page but it is also a carefully crafted and truly witty read. But there are no messages in this book other than locking all your doors and windows before going out really does work!

Excellent Read
I heard about Danny King from a mate and decided to look him up. I bought the burglar diaries on a tuesday and was done with it by the saturday (pretty fast for me). I've already orderd the other diaries and fully expect them to be at home when i go back for lunch today.

It's written it the first person and is extremely easy to read. The reader gets a solid picture of the main character, without every really being told what he looks like. His views, ideas and thoughts tell you more than any descriptions ever could.

This book would suit anyone who enjoys humour and doesnt mind a bit of swearing. It's an honest account of a man who does what he does and doesnt give a ****.

Buy it now. But leave a light on in your front room if you go out tonight....

Honest & Hilarious
I'd never heard of Danny King but stumbled across this book whilst browsing the public library - so glad I did. The narrator manages to de-glamourize the life of a 'career' criminal whilst trying to defend the 'profession'. Down-to-earth, no frills stuff. Hilarious. I will be looking out for Danny King in future