The Smoke: A Creeping Narrative [Hardcover]

Tony Broadbent (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 10, 2002

Brought up in one of London’s famed street markets, Jethro the cat burglar is as smart as he is streetwise, which is just as well, as he always needs all of his wits about him to pull off the perfect job and not get caught. After he breaks into the Soviet embassy and steals jewels belonging to the ambassador's wife, Jethro comes to the attention of His Majesty’s Secret Service, who forces him to revisit the place again to retrieve a code book for them. But this is all just a set up for a thief to catch a thief, and it leads to a deadly game of cat and mouse to see who will get to Jethro first: London’s gangsters, MI5, or one of the Soviet’s most formidable secret agents.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An evocative and witty style distinguishes Broadbent's first novel, set in austere 1947 London (or "the Smoke," per the glossary of underworld slang that precedes the main text). Chapter One opens with the marvelous sentence: "So there I was lying on the roof, seeing through my ears and taking in the sounds of the night, my face pressed against the damp soot-covered tiles, yellowy-grey wisps of fog folding about me like cast-off mortuary shrouds." An initially slow, overly familiar plot and a rushed climax, however, show that this talented author is not yet master of his craft, while some readers may wish an editor had pruned some of the verbal extravagance. Where Broadbent excels is character, starting with his picaresque and charming rogue of a narrator, Jethro, whose spellbinding exploits as a "creeper" or cat burglar occupy much of the story. After breaking into the Russian embassy and stealing jewels belonging to the ambassador's wife, Jethro finds himself at odds with several gangs of dangerous people, including MI5, who want his services in retrieving a code book from the Soviets. He escapes harm by the intervention of one deus ex machina after another. Almost as engaging as Jethro are those out to give him trouble, especially Robert Browno of Scotland Yard's Flying Squad, an ogre of a DCI; the gangster Messima, aka the "Emperor of Soho"; and Chalkie White, Messima's weasel-like henchman. This strong debut marks Broadbent as definitely an author to watch.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* "The Smoke," according to Broadbent's "Glossary of London Underworld Slang," is London. This knockout first novel carries the reader deep into the labyrinthine streets of London immediately after World War II, a time of continued rationing, chaotic railways and roadways, and a populace in which just about everyone, from long habit, is constantly figuring how to bend the rules just a bit, or a great deal, to get ahead. Broadbent's hero, cat burglar Jethro, fits perfectly into this post-Blitz zeitgeist. A witty and jaunty opportunist, Jethro serves as combination narrator and tour guide through his own adventures and craft. The first four chapters (arguably one of the most exquisitely suspenseful openings in crime fiction) offer Jethro's take on a "creep" (slang for a cat burglary) he conducts in the Soviet Embassy. Jethro just barely gets away with the jewels and his life, but he doesn't escape completely. His Majesty's Secret Service learns of the successful heist and coerces Jethro into going back one more time, to lift a ledger that contains a highly sensitive code. Unfortunately for Jethro, others, including London criminals and Soviet secret agents, have thrilled to his expertise as well and watch his every move in order to snare him and the codebook. An anguishing game of cat-and-mouse plays out over the bulk of the book, heightening tension with each move. Remarkable history-mystery, with fascinating background. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (September 10, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312290276
• ISBN-13: 978-0312290276
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,717,793 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Applause, applause for The Smoke and Broadbent, October 28, 2002

By 

Tim Goldring (Gosfield, Essex United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Smoke: A Creeping Narrative (Hardcover)

Applause, applause for The Smoke and Broadbent.
I was hooked after the first paragraph and like other reviewers then began to portion it out on a daily basis.
I lived in London for many years and was thrilled by the geographical accuracy and life style portrayals which are as real as I knew them in the late sixties and seventies. During this era you could still walk into any pub or cafe and meet these peolpe, overhear snatches of conversation and at a glance see post war London etched on the faces of the older punters. I loved the way characters "appeared" on cue and moved in and out of the plot, leaving you wondering what their story was or could be, where they came from and were going to.
Oh, and by the way Buggy Billy was a real person who I knew and who sadly died recently. He was a friend to my wifes parents for many years and they remember the market stall days of London. For those of you who think that it stretches the bounds of credibility, a coster monger selling bug powder, should also posess a British Museum Libary readers ticket, think again. It is true, I was a guide in the British Museum for a number of years and he was a regular reader. MI5 and MI6 in the fifties and sixties is pretty much as it is portrayed - my father was attached to the Ministry of Defence for 30 years.
10 out of 10 for authenticity, story line, character creation and inter-spection.
My only issues is - when is the next book out and how will Broadbent follow it up?

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating study of post-WWII London, spies & criminals, December 11, 2002

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Smoke: A Creeping Narrative (Hardcover)

Jethro does pretty well for himself in post-WWII London. Between his part-time job working as a stagehand, and his real career as a burgular and jewell thief, Jethro has comfortable wealth, good friends, and plenty of women. A big heist at a foreign embassy looks like it'll set him up for life--with plenty of diamonds, a gold Rolex, and a couple of books that look like they might be worth something. But the books are more than collector's items and the British secret service becomes involved--with a new mission for Jethro. British intelligence is only one of Jethro's problems, though. Leaders in the London mob have no problem with Jethro's acts, but they intend to be cut in for their share. Things quickly become complicated.

Author Tony Broadbent does a wonderful job depicting London in an era where victory has led to exhaustion rather than a sense of victory. Rich in the slang of London and London's underworld, THE SMOKE (thief cant for London itself) is completely convincing. Jethro's criminal behavior is quirky but sympathetic--he tells himself that he only robs from those who can afford it. In THE SMOKE, they're mostly Russian spies anyway, so no problems.

I felt that the second heist was a little undermotivated and less than brilliant and one critical character seemed just a little too conveniently available, but the strong opening chapters and the exciting conclusion make up for a multitude of sins. I couldn't put THE SMOKE down and now find myself looking forward to the next novel by this first-time author.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, Funny, and Smart!!!, December 6, 2003

By 

Sam Brannan (Rapid City, SD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Smoke: A Creeping Narrative (Hardcover)

Wow!
What a refreshing voice in the mystery genre! This book would make a great gift for that avid mystery reader dying for a new voice. Tony Broadbent nails it with his ability to not only show me a time and place I've never been, but also allow me the experience of creeping right alongside him. His style allows a three-dimensional approach to reading. I could actually see, taste, and smell The Smoke! Broadbent's witty on-liners rival those of the modern master of mystery, Harlan Coben. You will not be disappointed by this new voice!

The Smoke left this reader wanting more. So, get busy writing, Mr. Broadbent!!!