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Martin Brock #1
Twelve-Step Fandango: A Gritty Noir Thriller About a Burned-Out Dealer's Deadly Last Chance
Martin Brock is living a wasted life. He wants to be happy. He wants to have a girlfriend who can stand to be near him. He wants his friends to respect him. Burned out and self-deluded, he takes each day as it comes, dealing low-quality cocaine to tourists, his head in a perpetual cloud of pot smoke. Martin knows he's in a rut, but he lacks the will to dig himself out. Incapable of changing his life, he hopes instead that one day something momentous will simply fall into his lap.
And, one day, it does. An old friend rides into town, unannounced and uninvited, needing a place to lie low for a couple of days. He says he's been in a motorcycle accident, and hides a badly infected leg beneath his expensive leathers. Martin almost cares, but he's far more interested in what's concealed beneath the seat of the five kilos of high-grade cocaine. Suddenly Martin has the means to escape his miserable all he needs is a little time and a lot of luck. But Martin Brock is not a lucky man. He's spent years dreaming of a life of ease, a life of plenty, and a life of unlimited narcotics. By the end of the week, he'll settle for any life at all.
And, one day, it does. An old friend rides into town, unannounced and uninvited, needing a place to lie low for a couple of days. He says he's been in a motorcycle accident, and hides a badly infected leg beneath his expensive leathers. Martin almost cares, but he's far more interested in what's concealed beneath the seat of the five kilos of high-grade cocaine. Suddenly Martin has the means to escape his miserable all he needs is a little time and a lot of luck. But Martin Brock is not a lucky man. He's spent years dreaming of a life of ease, a life of plenty, and a life of unlimited narcotics. By the end of the week, he'll settle for any life at all.
- GenresFiction
352 pages, Paperback
First published June 5, 2003
About the author
Chris Haslam
11 books1 followerChris Haslam has himself faced life-or-death scrapes on three continents and seen the world through the eyes of a firearms instructor, an ironworker, and a ski guide. His travels took him to southern Spain for a couple of years, although he now lives and works in London.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 2, 2010
RATING: 4.25
TWELVE-STEP FANDANGO tells the story of a drug-addicted paranoid by the name of Martin Brock who goes to hell and beyond right before our eyes. He lives in a forlorn off-the-beaten-track community in Spain with a bunch of other misfits and addicts. Although he inhabits a deserted castle with his girlfriend, Luisa, this is no romantic and sentimental setting. The King of the Castle is cocaine, and no one is going to bump him off his throne, least of all Martin, who chooses coke over everything else in his life. He and Luisa have long ago settled in a relationship of convenience. He's a low level drug dealer, and he keeps her supplied.
One day, a guy Martin associated with in the past by the name of Yvan shows up at his doorstep. Yvan's in pretty bad shape, with a leg that is festering from gangrene. When he goes off to the big Dope House in the Sky, he leaves his only earthly possessions to Martin, a motorcycle. Martin is pleased with the bike, but the answer to all his druggy prayers are answered when he finds 5 kilograms of cocaine hidden under the seat. Martin's dreams are about to come true, or so he thinks.
In truth, the snowy white gift leads to nightmares. Yvan ripped some people off, and they are hot in pursuit of the cocaine. Martin hides the dope, and what ensues is a chase of epic proportions, with an unhealthy dollop of betrayal, torture and murder.
Cocaine or freedom? Cocaine or a faithful girlfriend? Cocaine or a pistol? In every case Martin will choose cocaine. The end of the book is truly surprising because he rejects the formula that has driven his life. Since Martin is an accomplished liar and manipulator, even that does not lead one to believe that there is hope for his future.
Chris Haslam has written an impressive novel. TWELVE-STEP FANDANGO is a hard book to like. It is populated with extremely unlikable characters, and there is almost nothing that happens in the book that gives a hope for any kind of bright future for anyone in its pages. There's one character who has some dignity; everyone else is an addict, murderer, traitor or degenerate. There is one amusing quirk that Martin has, which is to correct the other characters' English, even when they are about to kill him.
Despite its dark themes, I found the book exceptionally well done. Haslam has written some of the most eloquent and unique prose that I've ever seen, and he's overlaid this anarchic book with a tart sense of humor. My copy of the book is laden with page points marking memorable passages. I liked the book a lot, but realize that the mainstream reading public will find its lack of hope too much to handle. A brutal but beautiful book.
TWELVE-STEP FANDANGO is part of the new "Dark Alleys" imprint of Harper Collins. If this work is representative of their catalog, I am going to be one very happy reader.
TWELVE-STEP FANDANGO tells the story of a drug-addicted paranoid by the name of Martin Brock who goes to hell and beyond right before our eyes. He lives in a forlorn off-the-beaten-track community in Spain with a bunch of other misfits and addicts. Although he inhabits a deserted castle with his girlfriend, Luisa, this is no romantic and sentimental setting. The King of the Castle is cocaine, and no one is going to bump him off his throne, least of all Martin, who chooses coke over everything else in his life. He and Luisa have long ago settled in a relationship of convenience. He's a low level drug dealer, and he keeps her supplied.
One day, a guy Martin associated with in the past by the name of Yvan shows up at his doorstep. Yvan's in pretty bad shape, with a leg that is festering from gangrene. When he goes off to the big Dope House in the Sky, he leaves his only earthly possessions to Martin, a motorcycle. Martin is pleased with the bike, but the answer to all his druggy prayers are answered when he finds 5 kilograms of cocaine hidden under the seat. Martin's dreams are about to come true, or so he thinks.
In truth, the snowy white gift leads to nightmares. Yvan ripped some people off, and they are hot in pursuit of the cocaine. Martin hides the dope, and what ensues is a chase of epic proportions, with an unhealthy dollop of betrayal, torture and murder.
Cocaine or freedom? Cocaine or a faithful girlfriend? Cocaine or a pistol? In every case Martin will choose cocaine. The end of the book is truly surprising because he rejects the formula that has driven his life. Since Martin is an accomplished liar and manipulator, even that does not lead one to believe that there is hope for his future.
Chris Haslam has written an impressive novel. TWELVE-STEP FANDANGO is a hard book to like. It is populated with extremely unlikable characters, and there is almost nothing that happens in the book that gives a hope for any kind of bright future for anyone in its pages. There's one character who has some dignity; everyone else is an addict, murderer, traitor or degenerate. There is one amusing quirk that Martin has, which is to correct the other characters' English, even when they are about to kill him.
Despite its dark themes, I found the book exceptionally well done. Haslam has written some of the most eloquent and unique prose that I've ever seen, and he's overlaid this anarchic book with a tart sense of humor. My copy of the book is laden with page points marking memorable passages. I liked the book a lot, but realize that the mainstream reading public will find its lack of hope too much to handle. A brutal but beautiful book.
TWELVE-STEP FANDANGO is part of the new "Dark Alleys" imprint of Harper Collins. If this work is representative of their catalog, I am going to be one very happy reader.
February 7, 2020
I couldn't put it down. I loaned it to one person and it's been circulating since as it keeps getting recommended. The story moves at a good pace and the characters are well written, although you're not going to find any heroes in this book!
Want to Read
October 7, 2019Synopsis: Brock is living a wasted life and lacks the will to dig himself out. Then one day, a friend appears and he has five kilos of cocaine.
January 19, 2026
Funny, it could make a good Guy Ritchie movie.
August 23, 2015
Well written , fast paced fun.
Want to Read
June 21, 200806/19/08 rec via bookmooch
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews