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Gus Dury #short story
Last Orders
When he receives a mysterious letter on expensively embossed paper, reluctant investigator Gus Dury decides to take the case, if for no other reason than he needs the cash. But there's something about his well-heeled client, Callum Urquhart, that doesn't sit right with Dury.
Urquhart has travelled across the country to find his missing teenage daughter -- who definitely doesn't want to be found. As Dury gets closer to locating Caroline, what he uncovers is a web of lies and deceit and some painful realisations that lead back to his own tangled past.
Last Orders is a 14,000 word novella, first published in the Edinburgh Evening News, from the author of the Random House UK Gus Dury series: Paying for It, Gutted, Loss, and Long Time Dead - which is soon to be brought to the big screen by Richard Jobson.
Urquhart has travelled across the country to find his missing teenage daughter -- who definitely doesn't want to be found. As Dury gets closer to locating Caroline, what he uncovers is a web of lies and deceit and some painful realisations that lead back to his own tangled past.
Last Orders is a 14,000 word novella, first published in the Edinburgh Evening News, from the author of the Random House UK Gus Dury series: Paying for It, Gutted, Loss, and Long Time Dead - which is soon to be brought to the big screen by Richard Jobson.
48 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 24, 2013
5 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Tony Black
77 books115 followersTony Black is the author of more than 20 books, most recently Her Cold Eyes. He has been nominated for eight CWA Daggers and was runner up in The Guardian's Not the Booker prize for The Last Tiger.
He has written three crime series, a number of crime novellas and two collections of short stories. His acclaimed author interviews series was collected under the title, Hard Truths.
His novella, The Ringer, was adapted for the stage and the Ayr Gaiety performance can be found on YouTube.
A former Young Journalist of the Year, he still writes for the press regularly.
For more information, and the latest news visit his website at: www.tonyblack.net or his blog: www.pulppusher.blogspot.com or find him on Facebook, Twitter or Linked-In.
He has written three crime series, a number of crime novellas and two collections of short stories. His acclaimed author interviews series was collected under the title, Hard Truths.
His novella, The Ringer, was adapted for the stage and the Ayr Gaiety performance can be found on YouTube.
A former Young Journalist of the Year, he still writes for the press regularly.
For more information, and the latest news visit his website at: www.tonyblack.net or his blog: www.pulppusher.blogspot.com or find him on Facebook, Twitter or Linked-In.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 20, 2013
Thank you kindly to Mr Black and the publisher for the review copy.
An exciting anthology of crime fiction, featuring Edinburgh investigator Gus Dury.
I love Gus Dury. Some of my favourite reading experiences of the past came along with him and until I started reading this anthology I didnt realise quite how much I had missed that series..so I was one happy reader to find a whole bunch of tales in short story format – another of my favourite things.
Gus finds himself in varying situations here, all written with the usual wit and style that Mr Black brings to his crime fiction – it may be gritty “noir” in an almost perfect form but it is also compelling, authentic and addictive. Gus Dury as anti-hero is one of the best characters to be found in fiction – his absolute reluctance to get involved in anything followed by his absolute conviction in following it through once he DOES get sucked in, makes for some brilliant storytelling.
My favourite tales from this book? The first: Last Orders and also London Calling. But every one is a golden nugget of reading pleasure. I’m tempted to go back and re-read all the previous adventures. Enjoy!
Happy Reading Folks!
An exciting anthology of crime fiction, featuring Edinburgh investigator Gus Dury.
I love Gus Dury. Some of my favourite reading experiences of the past came along with him and until I started reading this anthology I didnt realise quite how much I had missed that series..so I was one happy reader to find a whole bunch of tales in short story format – another of my favourite things.
Gus finds himself in varying situations here, all written with the usual wit and style that Mr Black brings to his crime fiction – it may be gritty “noir” in an almost perfect form but it is also compelling, authentic and addictive. Gus Dury as anti-hero is one of the best characters to be found in fiction – his absolute reluctance to get involved in anything followed by his absolute conviction in following it through once he DOES get sucked in, makes for some brilliant storytelling.
My favourite tales from this book? The first: Last Orders and also London Calling. But every one is a golden nugget of reading pleasure. I’m tempted to go back and re-read all the previous adventures. Enjoy!
Happy Reading Folks!
January 27, 2013
In Last Orders Gus Drury, who's even more down and worn out than ever, makes a most welcome return. In this installment he's been engaged by Callum Urquhart, a minister, to find his 16 year old daughter. Although Gus has a bad feeling about the man he needs his money. Gus brings in two old friends to help - Fitz the Crime & nearly old flame, Amy. Gus, in his usual unusual way is soon on the girl's trail and finds out Urquhart hasn't been entirely straight with him...
For me the sign of a top-class writer is one who can tell a strong story with a minimum words and Tony Black does this yet again with Last Orders. The writing is by turn razor sharp, gritty and witty. The characters are very well drawn, the dialogue sparkles. Mr Black also creates a powerful sense of place in the Edinburgh back streets.
I particularly like Gus Drury whose past again resonates with the girl's situation. He's on death's door (again, I'm amazed & glad he's not buried yet) & he knows he could perhaps be much more than he is, but the great thing is Gus is comfortable with his lot in life. He doesn't struggle any more against fate, rather he embraces it.
Here's an example of the quality of writing:
"I'd flung my Crombie over the back of the couch the night before; as I retrieved it now I could see it was covered in all the dust and c*** that the hoover didn't reach. I needed a coat-brush. F*** it, I needed a hoover."
In previous reviews I've compared Tony's writing quality to that of Ian Rankin. I would do so again here.
For me the sign of a top-class writer is one who can tell a strong story with a minimum words and Tony Black does this yet again with Last Orders. The writing is by turn razor sharp, gritty and witty. The characters are very well drawn, the dialogue sparkles. Mr Black also creates a powerful sense of place in the Edinburgh back streets.
I particularly like Gus Drury whose past again resonates with the girl's situation. He's on death's door (again, I'm amazed & glad he's not buried yet) & he knows he could perhaps be much more than he is, but the great thing is Gus is comfortable with his lot in life. He doesn't struggle any more against fate, rather he embraces it.
Here's an example of the quality of writing:
"I'd flung my Crombie over the back of the couch the night before; as I retrieved it now I could see it was covered in all the dust and c*** that the hoover didn't reach. I needed a coat-brush. F*** it, I needed a hoover."
In previous reviews I've compared Tony's writing quality to that of Ian Rankin. I would do so again here.
November 23, 2013
Gus Dury is hired by a Minister to locate his missing and pregnant 16yr old daughter. Reluctantly, Gus takes the case only to find the missing person hasn’t been reporting missing and the reason surrounding her disappearance is not as clear as the Minister had him believe.
Despite being small in page count, this is a satisfying and well-conceived plot, executed in typical Tony Black fashion - equal measures of humour, alcohol, and the undesirables of crime fiction.
There’s a liberal dose of Gus’ trademark path to oblivion while his finer qualities and investigative ability are also on show to counteract his troubled personal life.
Readers of the previous Gus Dury novels will see the effects of those books in this setting while new readers will get a mere glimpse of the character and quality of Tony Black’s writing.
As usual – a highly recommended read that’s left me craving a full length follow-up to LONG TIME DEAD (Book #4).
This review also appears on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
Despite being small in page count, this is a satisfying and well-conceived plot, executed in typical Tony Black fashion - equal measures of humour, alcohol, and the undesirables of crime fiction.
There’s a liberal dose of Gus’ trademark path to oblivion while his finer qualities and investigative ability are also on show to counteract his troubled personal life.
Readers of the previous Gus Dury novels will see the effects of those books in this setting while new readers will get a mere glimpse of the character and quality of Tony Black’s writing.
As usual – a highly recommended read that’s left me craving a full length follow-up to LONG TIME DEAD (Book #4).
This review also appears on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
January 3, 2016
Downloaded for free I only meant to glance at the first page while I drank my coffee - BIG mistake, and I had to keep reading - and admiring the writing - right up to the (ever-so-slightly predictable) end
November 18, 2013
I just finished Last Orders (A Gus Drury Crime Thriller) by Tony Black. This is a part of a larger series that includes Paying for It, Gutted, Loss and Long Time Dead. I’ve tried not to do a review of a series “in stride” (without reading all of the priors,) but I’ve read Black’s work before, so I figured I’d see how it turned out.
Not at all disappointed.
Gus Dury is a broken-down ex-reporter with a reputation for digging the dirt. He is hired by a man named Callum Urquhart, a Church of Scotland minister to find his missing, pregnant daughter, Caroline. With the help of his stunning, sometimes-sidekick Amy and his “man on the inside” Fitz the Crime, Gus tracks down Caroline… and discovers an unsettling truth.
In Last Orders, Black’s turn-of-phrase is seamless and sublime. There’s no pretension in his characters, only a bare honesty that passes through their words, their movements and mannerisms. Gus Dury is a character you latch onto, and you’re right in his aching, hung-over head throughout. His landscapes are vivid, but manageable; nothing slows the reader down in enjoying this story. It’s a reader’s read, I’d say a writer’s read as well.
Not at all disappointed.
Gus Dury is a broken-down ex-reporter with a reputation for digging the dirt. He is hired by a man named Callum Urquhart, a Church of Scotland minister to find his missing, pregnant daughter, Caroline. With the help of his stunning, sometimes-sidekick Amy and his “man on the inside” Fitz the Crime, Gus tracks down Caroline… and discovers an unsettling truth.
In Last Orders, Black’s turn-of-phrase is seamless and sublime. There’s no pretension in his characters, only a bare honesty that passes through their words, their movements and mannerisms. Gus Dury is a character you latch onto, and you’re right in his aching, hung-over head throughout. His landscapes are vivid, but manageable; nothing slows the reader down in enjoying this story. It’s a reader’s read, I’d say a writer’s read as well.
December 3, 2013
The first thing that has to be said is that the squeamish will not like this book. And it is more likely that people will be squeamish about the accuracy of the language that Black puts into his characters' mouths than they will be about the violence, which these characters accept as the norm of their lives.
In these short stories, Black presents us with ordinary people, wearing ordinary clothes, if occasionally somewhat expensive, eating ordinary food, going to the pub and involved in a criminal world where casual violence is expected and encouraged.
One of the themes of these stories, which makes them difficult to read, is incestuous sexual abuse and the effect that it has upon families, not just the perpetrator and the victim. It is not an easy book to read.
Which is not to say that the stories are not told with verve and panache, because they are. This is not a book that you will want to put down. That is virtually impossible. Black hooks you in, telling stories that grip. You want to know what happens to these people. This is a book that you have to finish.
In these short stories, Black presents us with ordinary people, wearing ordinary clothes, if occasionally somewhat expensive, eating ordinary food, going to the pub and involved in a criminal world where casual violence is expected and encouraged.
One of the themes of these stories, which makes them difficult to read, is incestuous sexual abuse and the effect that it has upon families, not just the perpetrator and the victim. It is not an easy book to read.
Which is not to say that the stories are not told with verve and panache, because they are. This is not a book that you will want to put down. That is virtually impossible. Black hooks you in, telling stories that grip. You want to know what happens to these people. This is a book that you have to finish.
July 19, 2015
Ex-reporter turned reluctant PI for hire Gus Dury is on the trail of the missing sixteen year old daughter of church minister Callum Urquhart. However finding the girl and the truth behind the girl’s disappearance is just the final straw for Dury in this dark, gripping crime story from popular author Tony Black. Filled with sharp satirical one liners and authentic local language this Edinburgh set tale is a great introduction to the authors work. I would highly recommend this short story to any crime fiction fan and will certainly be looking for further books featuring the character of Gus Dury.
September 8, 2016
2.5/5 stars
Man plans, God laughs. - Loc 80
I'd once had a houseful of paperbacks but was now reduced to doing all my reading on the screen of a Kindle. I'd been resistant at first - books were like vinyl to me, each one had history: a time and a place they were purchased, a memory of the first play or read to regale with - but now I was swept along with the convenience of a mobile library in my pocket. - Loc 290
Man plans, God laughs. - Loc 80
I'd once had a houseful of paperbacks but was now reduced to doing all my reading on the screen of a Kindle. I'd been resistant at first - books were like vinyl to me, each one had history: a time and a place they were purchased, a memory of the first play or read to regale with - but now I was swept along with the convenience of a mobile library in my pocket. - Loc 290
September 10, 2013
I'd heard a fair bit about Tony Black, and this was a very good appetizer-size portion of his work. You get to know Gus Dury and like him, with his sardonic sense of humor and human foibles. The story arc here was effective, and so was the Scots atmosphere. Now I'm keen to see what Black does with Gus in his full-length outings.
October 13, 2013
Was very happy when I received a signed review copy in the post last week :)
I had read the Robbie Silva R.I.P. story and a couple of others before on ebook but was more than happy to read them again.
Tony Black`s work is amazing and he has quite quickly become my favourite Authors and if you read this anthology you will know why.
5 stars *****
I had read the Robbie Silva R.I.P. story and a couple of others before on ebook but was more than happy to read them again.
Tony Black`s work is amazing and he has quite quickly become my favourite Authors and if you read this anthology you will know why.
5 stars *****
September 22, 2013
a quick easy read.
December 25, 2013
Irvine Welsh hit the nail on the head. Tony black is the best British crime writer writing today. Start at the beginning of Gus Dury books. They are fantastic.
May 8, 2013
good story and plot.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews