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Cigarette
Cigarette follows the misadventures of self-appointed ‘ex- gangster’ Dave Benson as he unsuccessfully attempts to see off his previous shady life in style. When his childhood friend, Jimmy, comes knocking on his door with one last job, Dave finds himself unable to refuse the offer.
In Dave Benson, Jason Purdy has created an unlikely hero; an alcoholic unhinged character with a missing finger and an irrational fear of smoking, working a 9-5 desk job he doesn’t understand, Dave is also a man stuck in limbo. His struggle to leave the past behind leads to a bizarre series of dealings with a gangster called Drum, and his three psychotic partners.
With both chilling moments and fantastic streaks of dry humour, Cigarette is a darkly funny novel that gently pastiches the familiar clichés of gangster fiction. Jason Purdy has developed fascinating and identifiable characters that could easily live beyond the pages of his first novel.
In Dave Benson, Jason Purdy has created an unlikely hero; an alcoholic unhinged character with a missing finger and an irrational fear of smoking, working a 9-5 desk job he doesn’t understand, Dave is also a man stuck in limbo. His struggle to leave the past behind leads to a bizarre series of dealings with a gangster called Drum, and his three psychotic partners.
With both chilling moments and fantastic streaks of dry humour, Cigarette is a darkly funny novel that gently pastiches the familiar clichés of gangster fiction. Jason Purdy has developed fascinating and identifiable characters that could easily live beyond the pages of his first novel.
- GenresEbooks
267 pages, ebook
First published April 30, 2013
1 person is currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Jason Purdy
10 books19 followersI'm from Northern Ireland, and I like to write.
Follow me on Twitter: @JasonAPurdy
I keep putting my age here but it keeps changing.
Follow me on Twitter: @JasonAPurdy
I keep putting my age here but it keeps changing.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 26, 2013
A humorous story that held my attention for the most part. A man who has given up cigarettes, is trying to quit alcohol and is being chased by three "costumed" criminals right out of a Batman movie. I have to laugh everytime I think about them.
I laughed out loud several times while reading this. It's a little far out, but then so are the characters.
The story was well written and I think could have been summarized a little more in the middle. It started out strong, got a little slow and then sped towards the ending. The final ending was not really believable as I don't think someone with extreme burns on their body could sit and eat a hamburger, but hey, it's fiction.
The editing has a LOT of problems with misspelled words and I know of at least a half dozen times I had to reread parts because a word was missing. I may have had an unedited copy though as I received this free on Goodreads through an author's contest.
I think the author has a strong character base and for his first book was very entertaining. I look forward to the author's next book and see if the criticisms were taken. I believe with a little work, he could be an entertaining writer.
I laughed out loud several times while reading this. It's a little far out, but then so are the characters.
The story was well written and I think could have been summarized a little more in the middle. It started out strong, got a little slow and then sped towards the ending. The final ending was not really believable as I don't think someone with extreme burns on their body could sit and eat a hamburger, but hey, it's fiction.
The editing has a LOT of problems with misspelled words and I know of at least a half dozen times I had to reread parts because a word was missing. I may have had an unedited copy though as I received this free on Goodreads through an author's contest.
I think the author has a strong character base and for his first book was very entertaining. I look forward to the author's next book and see if the criticisms were taken. I believe with a little work, he could be an entertaining writer.
June 30, 2013
First, I must say, I was graciously given this book by the author in trade for reviewing. I warned him.
Cigarette- catchy title, but not much relevance except for some cigarette lighters shaped like guns- is the story of Dave, a fringe criminal who is touched by his old friend, Jimmy, to take part in a big unknown job. Jimmy is a ne'e'r do well, who begs on the street, occasionally sleeps at Dave's house, and pulls small criminal jobs for a man named Drum. Drum is a psychopath of the first order, who has a team of criminals, amongst whom are Bear (a large furry man who calls people "cub"), Clown (a man who walks around wearing full clown make up) and Shark (a bizarre man with no nose, various scars from a fire and a phone ringtone of the theme from Jaws). Really? These people walk around together somewhere in the UK and no one comments or reports them to the police?? The whole premise is so unbelievable that it's difficult to keep reading. Anyway Dave gets involved because of a threat to Jimmy that turns into a sub plot about taking down Drum, who it turns out had Shark, Bear and Clown cut off one of Dave's fingers. Oh, yeah and they threaten Dave's girlfriend. Everyone Dave associates with- his psychiatrist, his boss- seems to work for Drum.
I did eventually get into the story, despite the bizarre nature and in fact, it wasn't bad. The plot was unbelievable, the characters were unbelievable, but if you totally suspend belief, you can follow it and it's not that bad. The main character, Dave, becomes rather endearing.
My objections: I know this book takes place in Britain somewhere, but except for a sense of grit and city, there is no sense of where; the author seriously needs an editor and a proof reader- tons of bad sentence structure, run ons, redundancies, words left out, words doubled. VERY annoying. That alone almost made me stop reading.
Had I truly known what this book was, I would not have read it. It is a mystery/ thriller, yes; but it is also a pastiche. I hate pastiche stories/books. There is a famous author who writes for Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and pretty much every month has a pastiche mystery in there. I have been avoiding his stories for 20 years because I dislike the genre. But here I was, committed to reading and reviewing this one.
All that being said, I wish to thank Jason for the book and say: I think you have a future, but have a few readers read before you publish to fix the structure, grammar, etc., and maybe keep with the story line without all the extraneous stuff like clown make up.
Cigarette- catchy title, but not much relevance except for some cigarette lighters shaped like guns- is the story of Dave, a fringe criminal who is touched by his old friend, Jimmy, to take part in a big unknown job. Jimmy is a ne'e'r do well, who begs on the street, occasionally sleeps at Dave's house, and pulls small criminal jobs for a man named Drum. Drum is a psychopath of the first order, who has a team of criminals, amongst whom are Bear (a large furry man who calls people "cub"), Clown (a man who walks around wearing full clown make up) and Shark (a bizarre man with no nose, various scars from a fire and a phone ringtone of the theme from Jaws). Really? These people walk around together somewhere in the UK and no one comments or reports them to the police?? The whole premise is so unbelievable that it's difficult to keep reading. Anyway Dave gets involved because of a threat to Jimmy that turns into a sub plot about taking down Drum, who it turns out had Shark, Bear and Clown cut off one of Dave's fingers. Oh, yeah and they threaten Dave's girlfriend. Everyone Dave associates with- his psychiatrist, his boss- seems to work for Drum.
I did eventually get into the story, despite the bizarre nature and in fact, it wasn't bad. The plot was unbelievable, the characters were unbelievable, but if you totally suspend belief, you can follow it and it's not that bad. The main character, Dave, becomes rather endearing.
My objections: I know this book takes place in Britain somewhere, but except for a sense of grit and city, there is no sense of where; the author seriously needs an editor and a proof reader- tons of bad sentence structure, run ons, redundancies, words left out, words doubled. VERY annoying. That alone almost made me stop reading.
Had I truly known what this book was, I would not have read it. It is a mystery/ thriller, yes; but it is also a pastiche. I hate pastiche stories/books. There is a famous author who writes for Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and pretty much every month has a pastiche mystery in there. I have been avoiding his stories for 20 years because I dislike the genre. But here I was, committed to reading and reviewing this one.
All that being said, I wish to thank Jason for the book and say: I think you have a future, but have a few readers read before you publish to fix the structure, grammar, etc., and maybe keep with the story line without all the extraneous stuff like clown make up.
May 10, 2013
“Okay, so maybe it is a gun,” describes Dave Benson’s character in a nutshell. Benson, with his dark sense of realistic humor, a drinking problem, and a knack for stumbling into illegal situations, formulates a comically lethal combination for a male protagonist.
Cigarette, is a nonstop pager turner, guiding you through a gangster’s funhouse. At times, this story lets you see the light at the end of the tunnel, or so you’re lead to believe.
From the start, Purdy throws you into the “Big Brother” underworld of crime, and (cigar)smoke and mirrors. Written in first person present tense, this author is able to draw you into the storyline. Purdy’s creativeness with words will leave you questioning if you’re really reading a book or actually sitting in the room having a drink with Dave.
As Cigarette ended--and I quit chewing on the inside of my cheek, from waiting to see what the next turn of events would be--my questions were: is there more and when it is coming out? I thoroughly enjoyed this story and can’t wait to see the new misadventures Dave Benson will stagger through.
Cigarette, is a nonstop pager turner, guiding you through a gangster’s funhouse. At times, this story lets you see the light at the end of the tunnel, or so you’re lead to believe.
From the start, Purdy throws you into the “Big Brother” underworld of crime, and (cigar)smoke and mirrors. Written in first person present tense, this author is able to draw you into the storyline. Purdy’s creativeness with words will leave you questioning if you’re really reading a book or actually sitting in the room having a drink with Dave.
As Cigarette ended--and I quit chewing on the inside of my cheek, from waiting to see what the next turn of events would be--my questions were: is there more and when it is coming out? I thoroughly enjoyed this story and can’t wait to see the new misadventures Dave Benson will stagger through.
May 19, 2013
Dave just wants out. But due to his self destructive tendencies he finds himself sucked back into the world of crime that he thought he had left behind.
Cigarette has a surreal congregation of characters; Jimmy is Dave's 'best friend' who stinks of trouble and cheap cider, Drum the psychotic crime lord and his trio of frightening yet often endearing goons. Together they form the perfect bag of mixed nuts.
Jason Purdy has created a set of characters that could well live beyond the pages of his first novel. It is well executed and written with no pretense. With Dave Benson what you see is what you get, and I hope to see plenty more of him in the future.
Cigarette is wonderfully absurd and it gets bloodier and sillier by the page. Its blunt, black wit left me yearning for more. A very good read.
Cigarette has a surreal congregation of characters; Jimmy is Dave's 'best friend' who stinks of trouble and cheap cider, Drum the psychotic crime lord and his trio of frightening yet often endearing goons. Together they form the perfect bag of mixed nuts.
Jason Purdy has created a set of characters that could well live beyond the pages of his first novel. It is well executed and written with no pretense. With Dave Benson what you see is what you get, and I hope to see plenty more of him in the future.
Cigarette is wonderfully absurd and it gets bloodier and sillier by the page. Its blunt, black wit left me yearning for more. A very good read.
April 28, 2013
I received an advance copy of this book for honest review. ‘Cigarette’ is the tale of Dave (No Fingers) Benson and his terrible life choices. An alcoholic trying to turn his back on a life of crime, Dave finds himself roped into another job for psychopathic crime lord Drum.
From page one the tone is set, noir mixed with dry humour for a satisfying darkly funny read. As Dave leads us through his messed up life the dark comedy element remains intact throughout and makes ‘Cigarette’ an endlessly entertaining page-turner. There are so many completely brilliant quotable lines contained within this novel, virtually every sentence is worth its word count in gold.
The characters were slightly exaggerated stereotypes, which has been played up to perfection in this noir styled novel. Dave’s suspicious girlfriend Sarah comes across slightly deranged, his homeless friend Jimmy is a pain in his ass, and Drum’s goons are typically threatening and scary. These characters are used to great effect and I enjoyed all of them in their different ways.
The story was clever and well thought out. I didn’t see that ending coming at all! Overall this book has been very well constructed, making for a compulsive page-turning read. It’s the way that it’s been told that I enjoyed most of all. It’s the kind of book I could keep going back to and find new favourite lines every time. I can already say I’m itching to read anything else this author comes up with, the sooner the better.
From page one the tone is set, noir mixed with dry humour for a satisfying darkly funny read. As Dave leads us through his messed up life the dark comedy element remains intact throughout and makes ‘Cigarette’ an endlessly entertaining page-turner. There are so many completely brilliant quotable lines contained within this novel, virtually every sentence is worth its word count in gold.
The characters were slightly exaggerated stereotypes, which has been played up to perfection in this noir styled novel. Dave’s suspicious girlfriend Sarah comes across slightly deranged, his homeless friend Jimmy is a pain in his ass, and Drum’s goons are typically threatening and scary. These characters are used to great effect and I enjoyed all of them in their different ways.
The story was clever and well thought out. I didn’t see that ending coming at all! Overall this book has been very well constructed, making for a compulsive page-turning read. It’s the way that it’s been told that I enjoyed most of all. It’s the kind of book I could keep going back to and find new favourite lines every time. I can already say I’m itching to read anything else this author comes up with, the sooner the better.
November 2, 2013
Cigarette is a witty and gritty journey through “just one more trick” of Dave “no fingers” Benson, a recovering gangster. After falling back in with an old chum, Jimmy, Dave finds himself once again wrapped up in a job of whirlwind proportions, one that he has fought so desperately to avoid and one that he feels may threaten the life of both him and the woman he has decided he loves.
Good-hearted Dave cannot help but aid Jimmy (a vagabond friend that one can only question), but with the rescue comes the risk—the very risk of falling back into a never-ending abyss of harmful ways. Dave does his best to cooperate during the trip, but after falling into the hands of those very thugs that stole his finger, he finds that it’s not smooth sailing to completion of the project, but a turbulent ride with twists and turns he’s never imagined.
Toggling between hating these men for their gruesome crimes, and loving these individuals for their own hellish histories, the reader is bound to connect with the emotions and actions of all.
Purdy has done a wonderful job of creating a gangster’s trip to salvation through sin. Cigarette is a surefire spigot for a raging stream of adventure and intrigue, and one to surely please those interested in crime fiction.
Good-hearted Dave cannot help but aid Jimmy (a vagabond friend that one can only question), but with the rescue comes the risk—the very risk of falling back into a never-ending abyss of harmful ways. Dave does his best to cooperate during the trip, but after falling into the hands of those very thugs that stole his finger, he finds that it’s not smooth sailing to completion of the project, but a turbulent ride with twists and turns he’s never imagined.
Toggling between hating these men for their gruesome crimes, and loving these individuals for their own hellish histories, the reader is bound to connect with the emotions and actions of all.
Purdy has done a wonderful job of creating a gangster’s trip to salvation through sin. Cigarette is a surefire spigot for a raging stream of adventure and intrigue, and one to surely please those interested in crime fiction.
May 28, 2013
Definitely some dark humor and some gross stuff going on. I did like the book and the story but had a hard time with some of the grosser (is that a word) stuff and some of the spelling/word errors took some going back over to figure out. I'll be interested to see what the next book has to bring.
Want to read
June 20, 2013I won this e-book from a free giveaway from the author, Jason Purdy on the Goodreads group Mysteries & Crime Thrillers. I'll put up a review when I have read it.
November 24, 2013
I was given this book by the author in exchange for a review. I'm sorry, but it didn't grip me. I tried several times, but I've had to give up. The language was foul, the dialogue was cheap and predictable. The book needed some good editing for sentence structure, punctuation, spelling and overall flow issues. I might pick it up again in a few months.
January 21, 2014
Fast-paced, this plot grabs you from the start and keeps moving. It's a first-person narrative gangster style thriller, with a central character who seems constantly bewildered by the world he's fallen (or jumped) into. Nasty and violent, with lots of dark humour: not my usual read but I kept going back to it!
June 11, 2013
This was a very engaging book. I loved the characters.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews