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Betrayal in Naples
Neil Griffith's Betrayal in Naples is a stylish and erotic literary thriller that will appeal to fans of Graham Greene. 'An edgy romance and an excellent study in paranoia' Daily Telegraph Jim Wolf is abandoned in a Naples back street by a taxi driver. This is not what he came to the city for. But he's soon found by Louisa - an ex-lover never quite forgotten - now married to a charismatic Neapolitan judge. The three become close friends, and it's not long before Jim is closely involved in a high profile-mafia trial and once again irresistibly tempted by Louisa. Jim is soon out of his depth, seduced by both the beauty and danger of this mysterious city, where betrayal - of a lover, of a friend, of oneself - is part of the way of life, and where, if you break the unspoken codes, a single gesture from a powerful man can condemn you. 'Shocking and compelling' Big Issue Shortlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award for the most promising first novel of the year. Neil Griffith was born in 1965 and lives in London E17.He has also written for radio and film. Betrayal in Naples is his first novel.
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First published March 4, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 30, 2015
I'm a massive fan of this book - it's probably one of the top 5 thrillers I've ever read. I can't recall how I came across it, I think I might have just been attracted by the cover of the book, or maybe the title (I love all things Italian) - either way I arrived home with it one day and hardly took a breath until I'd finished it.
Written by a British journalist who, to this date, has only written one other book (which I also loved) it pitches a young Englishman into the hustle of Italy's most atmospheric and threatening city. The city itself is probably the star here, with the plot playing second fiddle. Naples is superbly described - it's character, it's personality and the people who inhabit this mysterious place. The story is about crime and love and family and fear. It had me by the neck from the first page.
I check weekly to see if Griffiths has written, or is in the process of writing, a new book. This much talent demands more than two books!
Written by a British journalist who, to this date, has only written one other book (which I also loved) it pitches a young Englishman into the hustle of Italy's most atmospheric and threatening city. The city itself is probably the star here, with the plot playing second fiddle. Naples is superbly described - it's character, it's personality and the people who inhabit this mysterious place. The story is about crime and love and family and fear. It had me by the neck from the first page.
I check weekly to see if Griffiths has written, or is in the process of writing, a new book. This much talent demands more than two books!
April 20, 2021
Neil Griffiths is the founder of The Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses. I had the privilege of being part of the judging process for the 2018 incarnation of this prize which means, of course, that I also had the privilege of meeting Neil Griffiths. This was around the time of his most recent novel (As A God Might Be) which I read and very much enjoyed. Fast forward to 2021 and I lend a book (from a Small Press, of course) to a friend who returns it along with “something you might be interested in”. Which turns out to be a copy of Neil Griffiths’ debut novel, Betrayal in Naples.
Published by Penguin Books, the publisher’s website describes the novel as ”a stylish and erotic literary thriller that will appeal to fans of Graham Greene”. Reading that description immediately put me in mind of another author, Lawrence Osborne, who is often referred to as the “heir to Graham Greene”. I have to admit that my experience of Graham Greene’s novels is not very recent: I have read most of his work, but a long, long time ago. However, over the last few years, I have read all of Lawrence Osborne’s novels. I can see how comparisons between all three of these authors could work (this is only true for this book from Griffiths - I haven’t read his second book, but his third, referred to above, is very different).
Betrayal in Naples tells us the story of Jim Wolf’s trip to Naples. It’s no spoiler, because it is revealed on the open page, to reveal that he travels to Naples but does not travel back. As suggested by the title, there’s lots of betrayal in Naples and Jim gets sucked into a dark and dangerous series of events that you always know is not going to end well (for anyone!).
In as much as you can enjoy a book that has four sections entitled “Sickness”, “Crime”, “Sex” and “Death”, I did enjoy reading this. There’s nothing complicated about the book: no fancy structure, no playing with timelines, no switching viewpoints etc.. It’s a well-told story that begins (after the first page reveal above) with Jim travelling to Naples for a short break before starting a new job and ends with him not returning. Along the way, as the section titles suggest, he falls ill, gets involved with some criminals, has some sex and dies. Oh, and almost everyone manages to betray at least one other person.
In an interview at threemonkeysonline.com, Neil Griffiths was asked ”One of the things with Betrayal in Naples is that it seems at the outset to be a crime novel, but it doesn't really sit in the genre. What genre would you describe it?” and his reply was ”I think it's a “Literary Novel” that just happens to have a really strong story. It's being positioned as a literary thriller, which is fair enough I suppose, but I think that someone reading it just as a thriller will come away a bit disappointed – I think it's a more thoughtful book than crime thrillers often are. All violence for example happens off stage, it's not a crime novel in that sense.” (Note that the final sentence here is not strictly true because our protagonist receives a pretty horrific injury as the direct results of on stage violence). And this is a thoughtful book. It’s a well told story even if some elements of the plot stretch credibility a bit. And I have to say that, for me (others may disagree), the sex scenes did not work.
But, apart from some elements of the plot and the sex scenes, there’s a lot to like here and I’m glad I read the book. I'm sitting at 3.5 stars because a lot of the book is a solid 4 stars but those two elements detract from it a bit for me. I'll round up for now.
Published by Penguin Books, the publisher’s website describes the novel as ”a stylish and erotic literary thriller that will appeal to fans of Graham Greene”. Reading that description immediately put me in mind of another author, Lawrence Osborne, who is often referred to as the “heir to Graham Greene”. I have to admit that my experience of Graham Greene’s novels is not very recent: I have read most of his work, but a long, long time ago. However, over the last few years, I have read all of Lawrence Osborne’s novels. I can see how comparisons between all three of these authors could work (this is only true for this book from Griffiths - I haven’t read his second book, but his third, referred to above, is very different).
Betrayal in Naples tells us the story of Jim Wolf’s trip to Naples. It’s no spoiler, because it is revealed on the open page, to reveal that he travels to Naples but does not travel back. As suggested by the title, there’s lots of betrayal in Naples and Jim gets sucked into a dark and dangerous series of events that you always know is not going to end well (for anyone!).
In as much as you can enjoy a book that has four sections entitled “Sickness”, “Crime”, “Sex” and “Death”, I did enjoy reading this. There’s nothing complicated about the book: no fancy structure, no playing with timelines, no switching viewpoints etc.. It’s a well-told story that begins (after the first page reveal above) with Jim travelling to Naples for a short break before starting a new job and ends with him not returning. Along the way, as the section titles suggest, he falls ill, gets involved with some criminals, has some sex and dies. Oh, and almost everyone manages to betray at least one other person.
In an interview at threemonkeysonline.com, Neil Griffiths was asked ”One of the things with Betrayal in Naples is that it seems at the outset to be a crime novel, but it doesn't really sit in the genre. What genre would you describe it?” and his reply was ”I think it's a “Literary Novel” that just happens to have a really strong story. It's being positioned as a literary thriller, which is fair enough I suppose, but I think that someone reading it just as a thriller will come away a bit disappointed – I think it's a more thoughtful book than crime thrillers often are. All violence for example happens off stage, it's not a crime novel in that sense.” (Note that the final sentence here is not strictly true because our protagonist receives a pretty horrific injury as the direct results of on stage violence). And this is a thoughtful book. It’s a well told story even if some elements of the plot stretch credibility a bit. And I have to say that, for me (others may disagree), the sex scenes did not work.
But, apart from some elements of the plot and the sex scenes, there’s a lot to like here and I’m glad I read the book. I'm sitting at 3.5 stars because a lot of the book is a solid 4 stars but those two elements detract from it a bit for me. I'll round up for now.
April 20, 2018
Neil Griffiths has potential. As a first novel this is quite a page turner if somewhat uneven and less than convincing in places. I enjoyed the portrayal of the main characters but found the plot stretched credibility in places. It is drenched in the heat of Naples and the darkness of the Camorra. In my view his descriptions of Naples were a little overblown and read like a guide book (less is more I suggest for the future) but nevertheless atmospheric. Really enjoyed the Camorra vs justice tensions and unlikely though it might be, the love story which went with it. Looking forward to the next novel from Neil Griffiths.
May 24, 2023
Rounding up from a 1.5
Where do I even begin?
-The plot was so rocambolesque that I got a headache from rolling my eyes.
- The ending was uninspired (putting it mildly).
- The characters felt so bland and stereotypical.
The positives are the sense of atmosphere and the actual writing skills of the author, so I wouldn't be opposed to reading something from this author but please - no more clichés!
Where do I even begin?
-The plot was so rocambolesque that I got a headache from rolling my eyes.
- The ending was uninspired (putting it mildly).
- The characters felt so bland and stereotypical.
The positives are the sense of atmosphere and the actual writing skills of the author, so I wouldn't be opposed to reading something from this author but please - no more clichés!
August 27, 2013
A real journey that's very well written and engaging.
Not the expected ending but still very good, let down in places by a threat to start a new and interesting addition to the plot that never materialized.
Not the expected ending but still very good, let down in places by a threat to start a new and interesting addition to the plot that never materialized.
January 19, 2010
Haunting. This book stays with you.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews