Tangled Web UK Review November 2000
Slaphead Chameleon by
Jerry Raine
pbk out June 00
(Gollancz)
at £9.99
Jerry Raine has been described in The Times as “a master of the suburban crime thriller”. I’m not sure if this is a characterisation any author would yearn for - suburban crime not exactly having the same come-hither effect as meaty urban noir - but it does hit the spot.
Jason Campbell, the musician protagonist of Slaphead Chameleon (neat title), lives in the south London suburb of Woodvale and he gets entangled in some pretty heavy-duty crime, specifically the psychotic ex-con Teddy Peppers. Just when Jason’s career is kick-started - he’s signed as the support act to a major country singer - his past catches up with him and the bullets start to fly...
Jerry Raine is a deceptively subtle writer who weaves his web with considerable skill. From humble and not particulary original beginnings - hero pitched into sudden danger, male cop at the end of his tether, female cop who gets romantically involved with hero - Raine constructs an interesting scenario that grips the reader hard. The insights into the music business are fresh and the strong characters are presented in a matter-of-fact and unsentimental way. The even style makes the violence that often flares up out of nothing shocking and effective - do not slap the head of this chameleon if you want your fingers to remain attached.
The verdict? Nice one, Mister Raine. I won’t be moving to the suburbs in a hurry.
(
Paul Johnston
)
