Grief by
John B. Spencer
hbk out June 03
Published by Do Not Press
at £15
A startling book that has the flavour of a Tarantino script though it is firmly rooted in West London. Hard man Simon is determined to protect his mum from the sharp practice of an estate agent out to make a killing on her house. His mate Ollie has another sort of killing in mind: disposing of new husband Rolph (a perverted German surveillance expert) for jealous ex JW Morgan. Morgan wants wife Ruth back but she’s about to go under the knife, re-shaping her body for Rolph. Journalist Lucy is having doubts about her affair with said estate agent when her dangerous junky brother comes crashing back into her life. Lucy confides in her lesbian colleague who may be offering more than just a shoulder to cry on. Plots and plans multiply with a sense of mounting lunacy and, of course, the bodies start piling up.
Spencer, also an acclaimed musician, died last year and this was his final book. Resolutely noir with generous amounts of sex, violence and bad language but also eloquent humour (on the breakdown of the English language amongst other things) from the bizarre cast of characters. Spencer writes in the present tense, predominantly in a rapid fire, slangy, pared down dialogue that, along with his villains predilection for quoting lines from gangster movies, reinforces the cinematic feel.
(
Cath Staincliffe
author of the popular Sal Kilkenny mysteries set on the mean streets of Manchester)
Grief by
John B. Spencer
