Customer Reviews

Nineteen Seventy-Four: The Red Riding Quartet, Book One (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

It is the fate of any new crime/thriller writer publishing "noir-ish" fiction to be beset by comparisons to James Ellroy. For the great unwashed that market modern fiction the ability to pigeonhole somebody by reference to a known quantity is too tempting to resist. Thus, Ian Rankin is Scotland's James Ellroy. And, for David Peace, those marketing him make reference to his Ellroy type qualities. Thus, "the Yorkshire Ellroy".

Well, to rid ourselves of the similarities. Peace, like Ellroy, writes fiction that does not baulk form dealing with the dark side of huamnity. His writing has a direct quality, that deals with brutal themes. The fiction, like Ellroy, is set in a real place (and - in his later work - draws on real events).

But, enough of the comparisons. Ellroy is a consummate stylist, his work finely honed over many years. This is Peace's first novel. We must not expect the same level as Ellroy.

However, this is very promising. It is a first person narrative, from Eddie, a journalist, whose father has recently died, and who gets caught up in a series of vicious child murders (some of the most disturbing imagery I have read is in the graphic descriptions of the crime scenes and forensic reports), local government corruption, blackmail, and corrupt racist police officers. On top of this Eddie has work problems, playing second fiddle to Jack Whitehead, the crime reporter of the year, and working with an editor, Hadden, that bows to Jack's greater ability.

This is a brutish view of the mid seventies, an unflinching look at a community that produced one of the UK's most notorious serial killers.

The first person narrative is generally well done, a startling stream of consciousness that product places, drops lines from songs, and has enough stylistic quirks to satisfy those that will write dissertations and theses of Peace's work in years to come. Sometimes it is too forced (it seems unnecessary to pepper pages with half remembered song lines and sadly remembered TV advertisements), and the violence of the imagery is disturbing. The characterisation is very strong, particularly Eddie, Hadden, Whitehead, and the one sympathetic police officer, Fraser (the latter three reappearing in Peace's Nineteen Seventy Seven). Plotting is handled well, and the novel is read quickly.

The novel is particularly strong on police brutality and corruption (another echo of Ellroy?). And in this regard the denouement is very powerful (although somewhat over the top).

This is an impressive debut, by no means perfect, but indicative of the promise Peace has started to fulfil in the later books in his quartet. It is not James Ellroy, Peace has his own unique voice. But this is heavily stylised noir-ish prose. Peace is one to watch.

If you enjoyed this read the later books in the series, or try some of the noir fiction by Vicki Hendricks.

This book rips along at ninety miles an hour, from the first to the very last page. Not for the faint of heart or poorly-read, this is both a hardboiled and an erudite read, James Ellroy versus George Orwell. Peace has been singled out by the New York Times and George Pelecanos as one to watch and with good reason; this is a haunting tale of a journalist's quest to find the truth about three missing schoolgirls, written in original white-hot prose that careers between brutal and beautiful poetry, vividly recreating a bleak Britain during the strife torn Seventies. Word from the UK is that the sequel is even better. Hard to believe -buy this book.

...1974, Yorkshire, and Ed Dunford's got the job he wanted. Crime correspondent for the Evening Post. He didn't know it was going to be the season of hell.... When I first read this I really wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but the little blurbs on the back and the poem inside intrigued me, making me want to read this as soon as possible. I'm not the type of teenager who would normally pick this genre, but I'm glad I did. 1974, pulls you in by the first 10 pages, a little slow at the beginning but, well worth it. David Peace, I think captured the feeling and emotions perfectly. He has great, needed detail and description. "The whole bloody pack waiting for the main attraction, pens poised and tapes paused; hot TV lights and cigarette smoke lighting up the windowless room like a Town hall boxing ring on a Late Night Fight Night....". This is the first British book that I've read and I plan to read more, the British dialogue, was one of the really strong, emotional parts of the book, with out it the book, wouldn't be as good as it is. .1974 is the a brillant book, I know that it's word that is used a lot to describe more things that needed, But this book in one thing that truly deserves the title... Read this book, if you want to read a book, that you'll never put down, till it's over.

I'll admit I'm still conflicted about how I feel about this book. On one hand David Peace is an excellent writer who has a command of the english language rarely seen in crime fiction and this debut novel is no exception. On the other hand the story is so brutal and violent it was hard to derive any pleasure from reading it.

Nineteen Seventy Four is set...well in 1974 Yorkshire. It follows crime journalist Eddie Dunford as he investigates brutal child murders amist a very corrupt small town culture. While all the characters in the novel are well drawn out, the atmosphere Peace evokes is so alive (and claustrophobic) that Yorkshire itself becomes a character. You become just as much a witness to the horrors in this novel as Eddie does and suffer through his investigation (and resulting torture at the hands of the local police).

As well as this novel was written what kept putting me off at points was the uber descriptions of violence, in particular the aftermath of the child-mutiliation killings. It just struck me as a bit extreme. Yes I realise it's supposed to be realistic and nothing that happens in this book is pleasant but considering how authentic the rest of the book felt the murder descriptions seemed to be so needlessly over-the-top it was almost hard to take seriously. It might have been different if the murders had really happened. Nineteen Seventy-Four is the first book in a quartet of novels that span almost ten years and while the later books center around the real Yorkshire Ripper serial killings, the murders in this novel are fictional.

Another thing I felt lacking in this novel was a sense of humor. Peace is compared to James Ellroy (and I'd even add Ken Bruen) but there was always a sense of perverse glee to Ellroy's writing which went hand-in-hand with the grusome brutality. Nineteen Seventy Four comes off as serious as a funeral.

While the violence in this novel made my stomach turn, the book itself is so well written and the over-arching story so compelling I can still recommend it. It's got a great 1970's atmosphere, well written characters, and a never-ending sense of dread. Just be warned: this is NOT pleasant reading.

From page one until the very end, this book literally rips along at ninety miles an hour. The plotting, characters, and attention to detail are simply superb; the brutality of the violence, corruption, and misogony is both harrowing and heart-stopping. Peace has often been compared to James Ellroy and there is undoubtedly some truth in stylistic terms, but this is a much better debut than Ellroy's Brown's Requiem ever was. This brilliant debut does not sit easily beside the usual pedestrian fare of British Crime Fiction -which is the very reason I urge readers to buy it. At last the UK has produced a writer and book capable of giving the Sceptic Tanks a run for their money.

I'm so glad Vintage/Black Lizard picked these books up: I couldn't think of a better publisher for them here in the States. For it really is alongside names like Ellroy and Chandler that Peace truly belongs. His is a very distinct style of noir: highly literary and extremely gritty, more about sinning than the sin, but entirely unique. This is a wonderful series (dubbed "The Red Riding Quartet") that begins here with 1974 and ends with the book 1983, and it certainly deserves far more exposure. David Peace has received much attention lately for his book The Damned Utd.--which will soon be a somewhat unrecognizable film--but this book (and this series) is a great starting point, and I would recommend reading it before reading any of his others. Fans of both the crime-genre and/or generally moody, dark literature will find a perfect companion here. Not for the faint of heart, even difficult to read at times, I've nevertheless re-read this series three times and I keep finding more and more I like about it; it has such immense depth. I couldn't recommend it enough. I should hope more writers like Peace emerge in the near future.

On a side note: how about a US reissue of GB84?

Remnants of Orwell's 1984 surface in this fast-paced tale of murder and depravity, an unsentimental romp through a society riddled with opportunism and exploitation, detectives working on a Missing Persons case in Leeds, England as wary of the press as the press is of their techniques. The new crime reporter on the Yorkshire Post, Eddie Dunford has returned to his roots, a bit cynical, but still experiencing the recent loss of his father. It is the week before Christmas, a cynical newsroom taking bets whether the body of ten-year-old Clare Kemplay will be found dead or alive, responding to the rhythms of the police investigation. Eddie already has his eye on Detective Chief Superintendent George Oldman, a hardboiled cop with the look of an alcoholic, a man to stay as far away from as possible. In kind, Oldman has his eye on the reporter. Eddie's relationship with the police will not be pleasant.

1970s Leeds is mired in corruption, a tribal community that takes care of its own and responds swiftly to unwanted intrusion. When prize-winning crime writer Jack Whitehead moves in on Dunford's territory, effectively stealing the Kemplay story except for related background, Eddie stubbornly pursues the story on his own, connecting the girl's disappearance to two others, cold cases that remain unsolved. Unfortunately, Dunford's boss turns a deaf ear to complaints, when the cops produce a confession from a suspect. Case closed. But once Eddie has seen photographs of the murdered girl, the images are seared into his mind, a child's body, mutilated swan's wings, the stuff of nightmares. A man without nuance who spends his spare time drunk or womanizing or both, Eddie is by no means a romantic. But the implications of a child casually disposed of- and likely others- are synonymous with the corruption he has uncovered, a reporter asking too many questions of the wrong people.

Uttering a stream of expletives while chirrupy Christmas carols fill the air, Eddie navigates a swamp of violence, racism, police brutality, cronyism and betrayal that extends far beyond Clare's murder. One discovery leads to another, a mangled hand, a vicious interrogation, the "accidental" death of another reporter, a blackmail attempt and the cold-blooded murder of competition in a moral quagmire, Dunford but one step ahead of the basest, albeit respectable, businessmen-criminals in Leeds. The prodigal son has interfered with the status quo, making lists from his dead comrade's extensive files, rampaging through a carefully manicured enterprise of exploitation and depravity covered with filth but never as dirty as the men he confronts. Innocence receives short shrift in this landscape, a carnival ride littered with the corpses of the damned, Dunford on the guest list. Luan Gaines/2007.

I got this book on the strength of the New York Times Review and some friends who said this guy was kind of the English James Ellroy -well everyone was telling the truth. This guy rocks like the IRA in London: sex, violence and poetry all with a heart and a passion. I read some pretty weak reviews on this page so I just wanted to say this: buy this book and if you dig it like I did, hook up to the amazon.co.uk site cos they've got the sequel: Nineteen Seventy Seven and that's even better.

I read several reviews of David Peace comparing him to James Elroy and stating that since 1974 is his first novel, of course he's not as good as Elroy. I totally disagree. In fact, I have never seen what makes Elroy a great writer; I find his writing trite and predictable. Also, it seems to me that Elroy is TRYING to be a stylist. Peace IS a stylist, and a very talented one at that. Furthermore, Peace reminds me of a brit Raymond Chandler. Like Chandler, he is first a great writer and second a writer of thrillers and mysteries. In 1974, Peace already has a great style, pace, and ability to tell a story that continually surprises me and keeps me turning pages. And he has the ability to make me chuckly and cringe. What more can I ask? Without a doubt, I will be reading the rest of the Red Riding Quartet.

Book one of the Red Riding Quartet. Peace has written a 4 part historical fiction series about the Yorkshire Ripper killings in England from the 70's and 80's.

This first book doesn't have anything to do with the Yorkshire Ripper, but it sets the scene for the corruption that allowed the Ripper to remain at large for the better part of a decade.

This book deals with a reporter's quest to find the identity of a serial child murderer. His investigation leads him to many different places, and none of those places are too nice.

This book is very well written. So well written in fact that I was surprised to find out it was Peace's first novel. However when the book cover has blurbs from Ian Rankin and George Pelecanos calling Peace the future of crime fiction you've got to expect something good.

The story is bleak and the characters are bleaker still. However I'm halfway through Nineteen Seventy-Seven, and I can tell you it doesn't get any lighter.