Among Thieves [Paperback]

Mez Packer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 2009

It’s 1984 and two ex-campus drug dealers are locked in a feud of mysterious origin. Chilly Pads has the upper hand and the money, while Andy has the charisma and the girls. But when Andy sets up a disastrous deal with IRA gangsters, he’s paid in fake dollars—and, much to Pads’ delight, needs his help financing a scam to recoup his money. The two leaders send a shady pair—ska-loving Jez and Jamaican Bas—to launder the money in Spain, where Jez becomes convinced they’re being followed and completely unravels. When they meet beautiful, feisty Becca, they worry that Pads may have hired her to spoil the group plans, and carry out his own. Either way, Becca impresses Andy and Chilly Pads and they recruit her for the next big job—smuggling hash into the UK from India.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

British author Packer juggles various narrative threads in her intriguing debut, mostly set in the 1980s. The strongest plot line concerns Albanian Mehmet Lucca and his quest for revenge. Devastated by the murder of his two brothers and his father's subsequent death, Mehmet, a business tycoon who was once a simple farmer, seeks the man he holds responsible for their murders: Jules Geci, a member of a well-connected family. Mehmet's younger brother, Gabriel, insists on accompanying him on the search for Jules, with tragic consequences. Meanwhile, in a less compelling story line, college friends and criminals, Andy and Pads, recruit English drug dealer Jeremy Jez Cross, who also dabbles in credit card fraud, to travel to Spain to launder some counterfeit money. There predictable complications ensue. Mehmet, Pads, and Jez each have a distinctive voice, but their stories converge only at the end, by which time many readers will feel that the whole is less than the sum of its parts. (June)
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Review

"Reminiscent of Martin Amis—but better plotted. Mez Packer has triumphantly pulled off the trick of writing across the gender divide—each of her male characters is complex and convincing."  —Independent on Sunday

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

"A highly original debut . . . an often comical, sometimes profound journey across continents, psyches, and the minutiae of the drugs trade."  —Guardian

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Tindal St Pr Ltd (July 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0955647622
• ISBN-13: 978-0955647628
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,619,636 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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