Product Description

A countercultural thriller set in India, Spain and 2 Tone Coventry.

It's 1984. Jez, a no-good 2 Tone loving Cov lad, and Jamaican Bas are drawn into a money laundering scam in Spain by two ambitious ex-university dealers, Andy and Pads. These middle-class wide-boys are locked in a feud of mysterious origin - chilly Pads has the upper hand, and the money, whereas charming Andy has the charisma, and the girls. But Andy takes a step too far when he sets up a deal with IRA gangsters and has to ask Pads to bail him out financially.

Over in Spain, Jez is sure they re being followed and begins to unravel. Bas keeps the operation rolling until he meets Becca, a working class girl from up North employed by Pads to spoil their plans. She eventually impresses both leaders and is recruited for the next scam: smuggling charras from India.

Meanwhile Mehmet is caught up in a violent revenge killing and needs to escape Hoxha's prison-like Albania. When he reaches Spain he intersects with the team and his fortunes change. Revenges ripen.



''A brilliant headlong narrative by a thrilling story-teller'' Graham Joyce

''Engaging and very innovative.'' - Howard Marks, author of Mr. Nice

''A highly original debut.'' - The Guardian

''Mez Packer has triumphantly pulled off the trick of writing across the gender divide each of her male characters is complex and convincing. The energy of the writing and the darkness of the story are reminiscent of Martin Amis - but better plotted. It's a hard-edged story with plenty of tension and violence, but it has a heart, too.'' - Independent on Sunday

SELECTED FOR THE PEOPLE'S BOOK PRIZE OCTOBER 2009 LONGLISTED FOR THE COVENTRY INSPIRATION BOOK AWARD

'Coventry 1983. As the city skanks to the 2 Tone beat, so another multicultural youth enterprise gets under way, uniting wildly divergent characters looking to smash the system and get rich quick on the music's narcotic spur: hashish . . . Comical, sometimes profound, this is a highly original debut' Guardian

'A witty, fast-paced thriller . . . Packer has a gift for quirky conversational detail and social satire. A promising new novelist' Times Literary Supplement

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #177293 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00" h x 5.10" w x 7.60" l, .60 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Features

• New
• Mint Condition
• Dispatch same day for order received before 12 noon
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• No quibbles returns