Payback [Paperback]

Russell James (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2007

Floyd Carter returns to London for the funeral of his brother. Was Albie's death an accident or did somebody kill him? Discovering the truth isn't easy. A gang leader demands Floyd cough up the ten grand he claims Albie owed; another wants Floyd to join his network of drug pushers. Only Floyd's childhood friend, Suzie, provides a haven. Even then, her daughter is developing some dangerous habits. Plunged into a world of drugs and violence, Floyd grapples with the facts surrounding Albie's death as bodies start to pile up. Black humor underpins the action of this fast-moving, hard-hitting thriller. Russell James "writes a muscular, undecorated prose" (Sunday Times) which perfectly captures London's criminal underworld. A typically tough and thoroughly compelling read from the author of ten novels, including Slaughter Music and No One Gets Hurt. "A first-class story of London gangland, told with a considerable amount of panache" Philip Kerr

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

British writer James's ( Underground ) American debut crackles with action and with dialogue Hammett or Raymond Chandler might envy. Ex-boxer Floyd Carter returns to South London to bury his older brother Albie--supposedly a hit-and-run victim. But the youngest Carter brother, Ludo (who at the age of 30 has the intelligence of a 12-year-old), insists that the car "chased" Albie onto the pavement. Although Floyd has been in Germany for 10 years, he quickly learns that Albie owed a delivery of drugs or a lot of money to some very threatening bad guys. Floyd is drawn back into his past and onto the mean streets of Deptford to deal with warring druglords, hostile cops, a boyhood pal's drug addiction, an old girlfriend's rambunctious teenage daughter and his renewed interest in the girlfriend. How Floyd extricates himself and Ludo from danger is a fascinating, intricate story with a very satisfying ending. James's characters sprint off the page and his portrait of a tough London seldom seen by tourists is strikingly etched. That some criminals sound as though they spend their nights watching American gangster movies of the '40s seems appropriate for this story, which is hard-boiled in the grand, classic style.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

It's been 10 years since ex-boxer Floyd Carter has been in England. But when he returns from Germany for the funeral of his older brother, Albie, Floyd winds up having a lot more to deal with than cremation arrangements and hard questions about what to do with addlepated younger brother, Ludo. Albie, it seems, was up to his neck in trouble with drug dealers--about 10,000 pounds' worth--and thugs start hounding Floyd and Ludo for the dough. Floyd doesn't want the involvement, but he soon realizes that if he wants to stay alive, he must quickly determine which circles Albie traveled in and who knew what and why about Albie's death. Floyd's cruise into the depressing gray side of working-class London leads him to crack cocaine and heroin, rival gangs, and one violent encounter after another (where his boxing training and tough hide serve him well). James' writing is in the best hard-boiled tradition, and his evocation of the seamier side of British life is subtly realistic and without sensationalism. Martin Brady --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Point Blank (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809571846
• ISBN-13: 978-0809571840
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,143,266 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Russell is a much-praised British writer, ex-Chairman of the Crime Writers Association, and author of twelve novels, crime and historical. Recent novels include 'The Maud Allan Affair', culminating in the shocking Old Bailey trial of 1919, and 'Requiem for a Daughter', set in the build-up to the 2012 London Olympics. Most of his hard-hitting, low-life thrillers are set in south east London and, unusually, they feature no detectives; when the police do appear it is on the sidelines.
He has also published four illustrated biographical encyclopaedias: Great British Fictional Detectives and its companion work, Great British Fictional Villains, followed by The Pocket Guide to Victorian Writers & Poets and its companion, The Pocket Guide to Victorian Artists & Their Models, published in spring 2011.

His books include:
POCKET GUIDE TO VICTORIAN ARTISTS & THEIR MODELS
POCKET GUIDE TO VICTORIAN WRITERS & POETS
GREAT BRITISH FICTIONAL VILLAINS
GREAT BRITISH FICTIONAL DETECTIVES
REQUIEM FOR A DAUGHTER
THE MAUD ALLAN AFFAIR
NO ONE GETS HURT
PICK ANY TITLE
THE ANNEX
PAINTING IN THE DARK
OH NO, NOT MY BABY
COUNT ME OUT
SLAUGHTER MUSIC
PAYBACK
DAYLIGHT
UNDERGROUND