Author – Nathan Rivers
Publisher – Lulu.com
Date – 2020
Length – 215 pages
Stars – 4/5
Blurb
Francis “Frankie” Cole is a convicted London gangland killer who will never again see the outside of Broadmoor secure psychiatric hospital having received a whole of life tariff for his crimes. David Palmer gains permission to interview Cole for a book although he quickly becomes more interested in the information he cannot include. Neither Palmer nor Cole are ready for the secrets revealed during their time together. Gritty, hardboiled and unsanitized, characterized by cynicism, fatalism, moral ambiguity which may offend those of a more sensitive nature. A captivating and provocative narrative, an intriguing and multifaceted plot, intense and thrilling to the last word.
Short Review
A gritty, gangland gripper with an incredible twist – a crime lovers must-read!
Review
I loved this book. It’s as simple as that. David Palmer comes to Broadmoor to interview Frankie Cole in a Mindhunter-esque fashion and, on the face of it, the story is well-conceived and generally well-written. It starts off with Palmer’s journey over to Broadmoor from Wales where he lives. I always think it is nice when authors include the rest of the UK in their books, not just London (there is more to our great country you know). A rapport is built between Palmer and Cole slowly and the reader is allowed the time to understand their relationship. The book is filled with flashbacks to Cole’s heyday in the East End of London and this forms the basis of the interview. He recounts his tales working for some eminent gangsters and how he ended up in his position. These vignettes, in themselves, prove enough on their own, to keep the reader interested.
Initially, I thought this was just a fairly good book – murder, corruption and gangsters are the usual suspects. No problems with the plot and it kept my attention. A twist about halfway through provided enough impetus for me to want to read on but nothing prepared me for the shock finale. The final chapter proved to be the most captivating and I actually read this twice. Not because I didn’t understand it but because I wanted to re-live the moment when the author so beautifully shatters your conceptions of the story. I don’t think I have ever read a book with such a shocking twist so very near the end. What an absolute curveball! There’s always the risk that the twist is underplayed or feels like an ‘it was all a dream’ moment when the reveal is very late-on but Rivers doesn’t fall into this trap. You can tell care has been taken to lead up to this climax and the reader feels nothing but fulfilment.
What I liked
The final twist was, of course, my highlight. I did not see this coming one bit and it completely blindsided me. I absolutely love books that do this. Rivers develops Palmer as a main character well and I’m hoping to learn more about his background in the next book.
What I wasn’t so keen on
There were a fair few typographical errors and I also felt that some sentences were too long, lasting half a page in one case. I didn’t find these small issues to detract from the overall readability of the book. This is, indeed, the only reason I have not given it the full five stars.
Summary
For a first-time author (as I believe Rivers to be), this is an excellent piece of work. It has all the elements a great crime story needs and Rivers excels, particularly, in providing sucker-punching, jaw-dropping plot twists. I can’t wait to read the next instalment.
The Kindle Book Reviewer 