Λονδίνο Στις Φλόγες

by Anthony Quinn, Όλγα Γκαρτζονίκα (Translator)

Η Βίκι Τρες είναι μια νεαρή, ανερχόμενη αστυνομικός που εμπλέκεται σε ένα σκάνδαλο διαφθοράς στους κόλπους της Αστυνομίας. Η Χάνα Στροντ είναι μια φιλόδοξη, νεαρή ρεπόρτερ που ειδικεύεται στη στηλίτευση των πλούσιων και ισχυρών. Ο Κάλουμ Κόνλαν είναι ένας Ιρλανδός ακαδημαϊκός που κάνει παρέα με τους λάθος ανθρώπους. Κι ο Φρέντι Σελβς είναι ένας επιτυχημένος διευθυντής θέατρου, βαθιά χωμένος σε ένα προσωπικό και πολιτικό τέλμα. Αυτοί οι τέσσερις άγνωστοι συναντιούνται και ο καθένας τους επηρεάζει βαθιά τη ζωή του άλλου.

Η πλοκή ακολουθεί απρόβλεπτη τροχιά, σε μια πόλη που πνίγεται στις απεργίες και τρομοκρατείται από βομβιστικές επιθέσεις. Αντηχεί τον φόβο και τις διαμαρτυρίες, τις αστυνομικές σειρήνες, την πανκ ροκ μουσική, τις διαδηλώσεις στους δρόμους, τα σπασμένα τζάμια και τις ραγισμένες καρδιές σε βρόμικες παμπ. Καθώς πλησιάζει η ώρα των βουλευτικών εκλογών, οι παλιές συμμαχίες παραπαίουν και η καινοφανής σκούπα του καπιταλισμού απειλεί να σαρώσει τα πάντα στο πέρασμά της.

Το Λονδίνο στις φλόγες είναι ένα μυθιστόρημα για το τέλος της δεκαετίας του 1970 και το τέλος μιας εποχής. Μιλάει για μια χώρα διχασμένη, μια κυβέρνηση στα πρόθυρα της κατάρρευσης, μια πόλη που τρέμει για το μέλλον της και μια κοινωνία όπου βασιλεύει η καχυποψία. Ένα μυθιστόρημα αστείο και ζοφερό, βίαιο αλλά και ρομαντικό, και τρομακτικά επίκαιρο.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Politics, Crime, London, British Literature, Contemporary

472 pages, Paperback

First published April 8, 2021

About the author

Anthony Quinn was born in Liverpool in 1964. Since 1998 he has been the film critic of the Independent. His debut novel The Rescue Man won the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award. His second novel Half of the Human Race was released in spring 2011.

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthony Quinn captures a short, chaotic, violent, divisive, politically turbulent period in British history, charting a Labour government on the cusp of collapse under James Callaghan, set in a London prior to the pivotal 1979 General Election that ushered in the first female PM, Margaret Thatcher, leading a Conservative party that will irrevocably change the country. The book captures the zeitgeist of the time, the rising piles of rubbish in the city, the National Front marches, the numerous strikes, the unions holding on for a 5% pay rise, the winter of discontent that leads to rising public and media anger and disgust with a out of touch and beleaguered government. The culture of the period is beautifully captured with the likes of musical artists of the era, The Clash and the anarchy of punk rock, David Bowie and films such as The Deerhunter. It is a palpably fearful London that is being targeted by an IRA bombing campaign that brings terror and assassinations.

The novel revolves around four main characters whose lives come to intersect and connect with each other in particularly significant and profound ways. We meet WPC Vicky Tress as she plays a key role in the capture of the Notting Dale rapist, an act that has DCI David Wicks encouraging her to join CID, only to find herself caught up in the deadly corruption amongst the police officers. Hannah Strode is a well known ambitious journalist working for Ensign, with a reputation for skewering the wealthy and powerful. Academic Callum Conlan is a Irish lecturer and would be writer, if only he could get down to producing the book Polly Souter had commissioned, a lonely and compassionate man who naively befriends an Irish labourer he had gone to school with. Freddie Selves has come from working class roots to become an enormously successful music and theatre impresario, lacking the self awareness as to the consequences of his arrogant behaviour, taking people for granted in his personal and professional life, having to learn the hard way the values of kindness and gentleness.

Quinn writes a captivating novel that brings to life the spirit of London in the late 1970s through the creation and development of his key characters, amidst the death throes of the ruling Labour party, the demise of old alliances, and the clear emergence of the determined, ruthless and powerful capitalist forces with plans to tear down the old order, root and branch, we all know what followed. This is a funny, engaging, dark, brutal and illuminating read, a sensitive and nuanced portrayal of a divided Britain in this critical historical period, with its transparent class divisions, sexism, racism, and a police force with many criminal and corrupt police officers. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.

[Nigeyb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a confirmed fan of Anthony Quinn’s fiction. I particularly enjoyed the trilogy comprising Curtain Call, Freya and Eureka so I was keen to read his latest London, Burning (2021).

As usual Anthony Quinn evokes a palpable sense of time and place, here it’s London in the late 1970s. The beleaguered city is in the grip of strike action with the Callaghan government on its last legs and Thatcher waiting in the wings, elsewhere the IRA are planting bombs, the Metropolitan Police are blighted by corruption, and punk rock is part of the soundtrack.

London, Burning tells the story of four disparate characters whose stories overlap and converge. It’s very cleverly executed and each character is compelling and interesting. It all builds up to a gripping finale which concludes a supremely enjoyable novel.

Highly recommended

5/5

The blurb….

London, Burning is a novel about the end of the 1970s, and the end of an era. It concerns a nation divided against itself, a government trembling on the verge of collapse, a city fearful of what is to come, and a people bitterly suspicious of one another. In other words, it is also a novel about now.

Vicky Tress is a young policewoman on the rise who becomes involved in a corruption imbroglio with CID. Hannah Strode is an ambitious young reporter with a speciality for skewering the rich and powerful. Callum Conlan is a struggling Irish academic and writer who falls in with the wrong people. While Freddie Selves is a hugely successful theatre impresario stuck deep in a personal and political mire of his own making. These four characters, strangers at the start, happen to meet and affect the course of each other's lives profoundly.

The story plots an unpredictable path through a city choked by strikes and cowed by bomb warnings. It reverberates to the sound of alarm and protest, of police sirens, punk rock, street demos, of breaking glass and breaking hearts in dusty pubs. As the clock ticks down towards a general election old alliances totter and the new broom of capitalist enterprise threatens to sweep all before it. It is funny and dark, violent but also moving.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t think Anthony Quinn has ever written a book I haven’t loved, and I am delighted to say that I found this equally engaging as his previous novels. This is set in London. It is 1979 and a Labour government are stuttering to a close – the unions are in uproar, rubbish is piled in the streets and the city is divided, fractious and on the edge of violence.

The novel revolves around four characters. WPC Vicky Tress, who is promoted when she managed to catch the Notting Hill rapist, but later has to confront police corruption. Academic Callum Conlan, an Irish academic who runs into an old schoolfriend, with disastrous consequences. Ambitious journalist, Hannah Strode and theatre director, Freddie Selves. As always, Quinn fleshes out his characters well. Selves could easily have been a typically narcissistic impresario in another author’s hands, but his constant eating and desire to be a good father, when his flagrant affairs are breaking down his marriage, make him vulnerable and sympathetic.

I was very young during this period, but I do remember it well. I liked the way the novel combines history and politics. The era of strikes, unrest, IRA, and a Thatcher government waiting in the wings, is very well done. For me, Quinn is a must read author and I think this is one of his best books yet. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in London in 1978-9 in the lead up to the General Election which brought Thatcher to power, this is a wonderful novel that captures the political and cultural climate of the times to a tee. The portrayal of the period is all encompassing and yet subtle, seen through the eyes of the four protagonists/inhabitants, going about their daily business. I would have to say that this was one of the most evocative works of fiction I have read, and I was transported back to the city I first arrived in, provoking memories of working in London hospitals, dealing with the fall out of riots and bombs.

Four characters; a young policewoman, a female reporter, an Irish born academic, and a successful theatre manager negotiate police corruption, sexism, IRA bombings, the national front and the labour strikes which almost brought the city to a standstill. Although their lives are initially told quite separately through individual chapters, Quinn slowly brings them together in such a way that no meeting felt contrived or made me feel the coincidence was to much.

The clever use of cultural icons from the time, The Clash, David Bowie, and the film The Deerhunter were masterful. The description of the viewing of The Deerhunter was superb, it strongly resonated with me and captured the emotions I remember feeling when I first saw this moving film. Highlighting the Russian roulette scene, exploring the lyrics of the songs, all added to the story and the questions that were being asked in a society on the brink.

The only criticism I have is that the resolution of the academic’s fate was a little too far-fetched for me, but this was a minor issue. This is the first book of Quinn’s that I have read, and I wonder why he has not been on my radar before now. I cannot wait to read more of his writing.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

London’s Burning by Anthony Quinn is my first book from the author, and it won’t be my last. Set in the late 1970’s in London in the time of strikes, IRA bombings, mistrust between one another and just before the collapse of the Labour government and Thatcher coming into power.
The is about four main characters and their stories that intertwine as the story goes on. Vicky Tress is an upcoming police officer, who is honest, but her integrity is tested when she must deal with corruption in the Met.
Frances Selves is a self-absorbed theatre director that only thinks of himself.
Hanna Strode is an upcoming journalist who wants to get the truth out there.
Callum Conlan is a lecturer and a part time writer from Ulster. Meets an old acquaintance from his hometown who he has not seen in years. Agrees to store a hold hall for him. Because of his generosity he gets accused of being a IRA bomber when a bomb goes off and his DNA is on the holdall that was carrying the detonators.
Thank you Little brown for copy of London’s Burning. I had doubts whether I was going to like this book or not but, it surprised how good this book was. This is a great gripping thriller that reminded me of the old times. Especially the crime dramas back in the day. I also enjoyed this because the unique story line as I’ve not come across a story set in the 1970’s for a while. As this is the first book from the author I have read, I will look forward to reading some of the other books that he has written. 5 stars from me.

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anthony Quinn has written a number of bestselling novels set in London, and set in periods as far apart as the mid-Victorian era and this, set at the end of the 1970s. London, Burning follows the interlinked lives of four characters - a young policewoman being drawn against her will into a mire of corruption, an ambitious young reporter working for a left-leaning newspaper, an immensely successful theatre impresario overseeing the construction of a new national music venue, and a Northern Irish university English Literature lecturer. Their story is played out against the backdrop of the crumbling Callaghan government over the 'winter of discontent' of 1978-79 and the new broom of Thatcherism waiting in the wings (the novel ends on Election Day). Quinn paints a convincing picture of the drab, corrupt and dangerous city; of rotting rubbish in the streets, IRA bombs and an overriding sense of ennui. Some real characters of the period play significant roles but for some reason are fictionalised and given new names, which I found vaguely unsettling. Nevertheless, London, Burning is a very readable, engaging and moving story set against a turning point in British national life that seems to be surprisingly neglected by writers of historical fiction.

[Evi Routoula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Πολύ καλό μυθιστόρημα του Αντονι Κουίν, που περιγράφει εξαιρετικά το Λονδίνο των τελών της δεκαετίας του 1970: επιθέσεις του IRA , απεργίες των σωματείων και σταδιακή άνοδος της Μάργκαρετ Θάτσερ. Ο συγγραφέας συνδυάζει τέλεια το κοινωνικό με το πολιτικό στοιχείο αλλά και μια αναμενόμενη αστυνομική ιστορία.

[Margaret Wakeling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. Set in the 1970s - the strikes, failure of the government to sort anything out - it could be the present time. In the seventies it was the failure of Labour, now it’s the Tories! Added to the mix in the seventies was the IRA bombing campaign now it’s general unrest, rebellion.

[Mark Colton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of stories that entwined nicely. A few characters weren't really needed but hey ho. Nice holiday read I guess.

[Pat · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of those books with four seemingly unrelated stories - and I was only interested in one and a half of them. Only two nice characters, and plenty that I would steer well clear of in real life (and didn’t enjoy ’meeting’ in the book). The story only got going at the 80% mark.

[Ant Koplowitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting novel about London set in 1978/9, using the social and political context of the time as background to the apparently unconnected lives of four strangers. This is the story of how their lives intersect. Anthony Quinn is excellent at establishing a believable sense of time and place, and he captures well the sense of London and Britain on the edge of social breakdown. A breakdown that was apparently avoided by the arrival, in the nick of time, of Mrs Thatcher and her uncompromising political and social mindset.

Quinn stresses the role of 'coincidence' as a way of bringing disperate characters together and how certain events can collide unintentionally. It's quite a clever trick to emphasise its role as an unseen catalyst, and he even has one of his characters illustrate the point in the form of a discussion about coincidence as a narrative structure in novel-writing.

The characters were believable and engaging and despite the apparent randomness of their lives as a collective, when they do come together it rings true. There is a nice sense of increasing tension as the book races towards its conclusion. Quite a few of the incidents appear to be fictionalised accounts of actual events. The only coincidence that stretched credibility a tad too far was the Victoria sandwich discussion in the cake shop, but I'll put that one down to literary licence.

Enjoyable.

© Koplowitz 2021

[beth.inprogress · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an immensely enjoyable, tightly woven story that connects and converges four main protagonists stories together in 1970s London. Freddie Selves, the theatre director of NMH, Vicky Tress, a policewoman embroiled in corruption in the CID, Hannah Strode, an ambitious young reporter trying to get the latest scoop on IRA activities and Callum Conlan, an Irish academic who finds himself an accessory to a crime through no fault of his own.

I loved how competently the author weaved all of these four narratives together and seamlessly connected the characters together in a way that didn’t hinge on coincidence or implausibility. Each character was very multi faceted and layered well and I invested in each of their individual storylines. I enjoyed the evolution of Freddie from a panto villian to a more functioning human being. Vicky and Hannah were strong female characters who I found very endearing and Callum’s story was the most rich in the exploration of Irish hostility in London in the wake of IRA bombings in London. I loved the descriptions of the 1970s and the commentary on Thatcher, union strikes, IRA bombings and corrupt police officers. This book was a pleasing novel and I would read anything else this author writes. If you enjoy novels set in the 1970s or are getting withdrawal symptoms from the finale of Line of Duty. I would strongly suggest this book and this author. You are in safe hands!

Thanks to Little, Brown, the author Anthony Quinn and Secret Readers for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Tom Boniface-Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good. Very much enjoyed this political-ish drama set against the backdrop of Thatcher coming to power. He skirts with the idea of why people voted the Tories in (sick of Labour messing the country up), and plays a lot with dramatic irony as a result - we all know what happened next. It felt like the first in a series. I hope it is.

[Helen_t_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in 1979, London, Burning is a really gripping, and completely absorbing “state of the nation” novel. The Callaghan government is on the point of collapse; the Tories have a new and popular leader in Margaret Thatcher; the country is in the grip of industrial unrest with repeated strike action by a range of unions; there is considerable racial tension, stirred up by The National Front; amidst the pervasive feeling of alienation, Punk Rock is gaining traction; and there is the constant fear induced by the IRA’s mainland bombing campaign. The novel’s title with its allusion to the nursery rhyme about London’s destruction by the Great Fire in 1666, and also to "London's Burning" by The Clash from their 1979 debut album of the same name, with lyrics about alienation, boredom, racism and drug taking, neatly reflects the times in which the novel is set, and the societal and political challenges faced.

The action of the novel plays out within, and arises from, this societal and political context, and the focus is on 4 main characters. Vicky Tress is a young policewoman, forging a career in a force which is riddled with sexism and corruption; Hannah Strode is an ambitious reporter with the left-wing Ensign newspaper, lauded for her interviews with the rich, famous and powerful; Callum Conlan is an academic and writer from Northern Ireland, with old friends from the past who enter his London life and impact it in ways he might never expect; and Freddie Selves is a highly successful theatre impresario with a distinctly unsuccessful personal life. They are all strangers at the start of the novel, but, as events unfold, their paths cross, and they influence each other’s future in profound and significant ways.

There is also a wide and varied cast of support characters, including: Anthony Middleton, a Tory hardliner based on Airey Neave; labour press secretary, Martin Villiers; DCI David Wicks, Vicky’s boss in CID; put-upon PA Dawn; Celebrity agent, Leo; Actress Nicola; and Freddie’s wife and sons - all of whom are realised with as much depth as the 4 main characters.

I thought this was a fantastic read, and I could not put it down. Anthony Quinn brilliantly portrays this divisive, turbulent, and violent period in our history, which seems to have so many parallels with current times. The plotting is deft and skilful, the characters are fully fleshed out and believable, and the cultural references and period details he uses make it so authentic and evocative – even the music referenced within it is a perfect late-1970s playlist.

Quinn expertly sets scenes, weaves all the plot strands together and manages the interaction of the characters, in a natural and dexterous way, and it never once feels contrived or incredible. The total believability, the characterisation, and the feeling of immediacy are the real strengths of the novel, making it so gripping and absorbing.

Whilst the themes are heavy, the novel isn’t in the least bleak or depressing and there is a lightness of touch, wit, and humour. It doesn’t patronise the reader or pull its punches, and leaves plenty for them to chew over and consider such as the parallels between the late 1970s and the 2020s and whether the incoming Thatcher era was the “change that might do us good”. It would make an excellent TV series or film.

Anthony Quinn has been on my radar for a while but up to now I had not read any of his novels. I shall do so now, for sure.

Thanks to Little, Brown for the digital copy of this novel, via the Hachette UK Secret Readers scheme.

[Eyejaybee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have clear (if not universally fond) memories of 1978. I was fifteen and living in what I now recognise was considerable opulence, in a hamlet in the close hinterland of a small provincial town in North Leicestershire. Like many teenagers, I lived in a fairly solipsistic manner, with most of what I needed fairly readily to hand, and living my life in a daze of books and progressive rock.

In Britain at large there was far less of a sense of satisfaction with life. The British economy was struggling, and the Labour government was sinking into crippling inertia. Over the four years since it had secured a parliamentary majority in the second election of 1974, the government had seen its leader resign for health reasons, and, through a series of by-election defeats, its majority had been eroded. As always in any period of economic and political strife, extremist groups had briefly flourished, and the hard right National Front, forerunners of the British National Party, held frequent rallies, that would provoke passionate counterdemonstrations from far left organisations, which inevitably descended into pitched battles in which the police generally came off worse than either faction. Meanwhile, the troubles in Northern Ireland were going through one of their most virulent phases, with bombings … or at least bomb scares … on the mainland becoming increasingly frequent. It is not surprising that such conditions should have seen the meteoric rise of punk rock, with groups like The Clash and The Sex Pistols catching and distilling the zeitgeist of youth disaffection.

Stuck in my bucolic retreat, access to punk music was limited, but I certainly loved what little I could find, and while I never went as far as sporting safety pin earrings or a Mohawk, I spent many hours imagining my self as a committed acolyte of the counterculture. Whenever I look back at those times, it is the punk rock that I recall first. This is deceptive, however – this was also the golden period of disco [I apologise - I realise I shouldn’t conjure such grim thoughts without some sort of warning for the faint of heart], and Abba were at the peak of their ghastly success,

Anthony Quinn captures that atmosphere marvellously in this novel, in which several seemingly discrete threads are effortlessly woven together into a striking tapestry. His characters are compelling: Callum Conlan is an Irish academic from Newry, who has relocated to London where he lectures at London University in early twentieth century literature; Vicky Tress is an ambitious young police constable who, as the book opens, contributes significantly to the arrest of the Notting Dale rapist who has been terrorising women in West London; Freddie Selves is Director of the National Music Hall, and lives high on the hog on his seemingly unlimited expense account: and Hannah Strode is a successful journalist with her own masthead photo above her regular column. Quinn weaves links between their very different lives, while also portraying the gloominess of the times as immediately recognisable news stories unfold in the background.

There are several intricate plotlines that are all brought together deftly, and the story is engaging and very satisfying.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a pleasure to (almost) end the year on an Anthony Quinn novel! I don’t understand why he isn’t better known. I loved his trilogy starting in the 1930s with Curtain Call — he is skilled at evoking a specific place and time and his books are always easy to read without being lightweight.

This one takes its time bringing together four disparate characters, against the backdrop of London at the tail end of the 1970s, ending with the election of Margaret Thatcher in May 1979. As I was living in London at the time, and working in the West End, this pleased me very much. His characters are always engaging, and while there are coincidences in the way he brings them together, they are Kate Atkinson style coincidences, which are fine with me. The plot meanders at first, but he’s also good at pulling together apparently unrelated threads that started early in the novel, for a dramatic denouement (though we could all surely see where the stored sports bag was leading us).

I was pleased as well that he’d left himself some loose ends for a sequel if he feels like it. I’d like to see more of Hannah and Vicky. I’d even like to see if the obnoxious Freddie Selves sticks to his resolution to be kind — given his behaviour with his PA, I suspect the answer is no.

[Saffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first Anthony Quinn book I've read but I will definitely be purchasing his back catalogue after this. London, Burning is set in late 1970s London - a place of strikes, IRA bomb threats and a Labour government on the brink of collapse. Quinn brings this era alive with a great sense of place, historical accuracy and characters I really cared about. I raced through this beautifully written and plotted novel and would highly recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC.

[Andrew Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

clever, structured thriller set firmly in the 70s, with a literary bent. Interactions between the characters are deftly interwoven. Comes close to capturing the atmosphere and political climate of the 70s. I loved the referencing of Hartley's "The Go Between". is it coincidental the movie is from the 70s. If
I have any criticism it's that I found the multiple references to Bowie and the Clash slightly laboured.

[Phil On The Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable to read, well written, but meanders along. Almost like the first book in a series, where the cast is being established and several threads developed but not closed off. Outcomes were predictable

[Bh · Rating 3 out of 5]

My least favourite AQ work to date. Lacks an emotional heart.

[D.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Μου θύμισε μιά εποχή που λίγο πολύ την ακούμπησα.
Και Clash !

[The Cookster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.2/5

With "London, Burning" Anthony Quinn has produced a captivating and well-written novel that is certain to evoke memories - fond or otherwise - in the minds of readers from the "Baby Boomer" generation.

Set at the end of the 1970s, the story revolves around the lives of four characters: Vicky Tress, a young police officer; Hannah Strode, a journalist working for a left-wing newspaper; Callum Conlan, an Ulsterman working as a lecturer in London; and Freddie Selves, a successful, but troubled, theatre impresario. At the outset these four individuals are unknown to each other, but as events transpire, they will come to have a significant influence on each other's lives.

The story of each of these protagonists is engaging in its own right, but Anthony Quinn does a wonderful job of creating a plotline that interweaves the four strands in a way that is entirely believable, rather than coming across as unnaturally contrived. Along the way, there is some delightfully evocative writing that really conjures up the essence of British life in the late '70s. At one point I did begin to question what form the real drama was going to take, or whether "London, Burning" would simply be an enjoyable and well-observed stroll through this period of history. I needn't have been concerned. The scene-setting builds into a dramatic story that appeals to a range of human senses ... at times shocking, at times amusing, at times poignant ... but always engaging and credible.

I have little doubt that this novel will appeal to readers who lived through this period. They will recognise and appreciate the many socio-cultural references of the day. Less certain is whether younger readers will feel the desire to pick this up too. I would hope so, because regardless of its historical setting, at its heart "London, Burning" relates universally good stories, featuring well-drawn characters.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

[Kath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book follows several main characters and we see how their stories intertwine. Vicky is a policewoman who has risen in the force to become a member of CID. Hannah is a reporter with a nose for uncovering details the rich and famous would prefer stay hidden. Callum is a lecturer and writer who is easily led by those who strive to use and corrupt. Finally Freddie is a theatre impresario with a whole bunch of issues and problems of his own. Quite how these four meet and how their lives impact those of the others, well, that's not for me to detail here as at least it might spoil things but in reality, it's all a bit interwoven and convoluted that I really couldn't do it justice if I tried.
I was only 10 at the end of the 70s so I have scant personal knowledge of what was going on in those times. Of course I have a broad understanding of The Troubles, and vaguely recollect the strikes, but little experience of the rest. But that really didn't matter as the author fleshed it all out to make it easy to totally immerse myself into the era in which he set the book.
The four main characters couldn't be more different but they are bound together by many and differing mutual friends, acquaintances, incidents, and events. Their interactions felt completely normal and not at all contrived to keep the story going, Instead, the narrative flowed along well, meandering as rivers do, branching out to encompass something else along the way. All the way until we reach the end of the book where it all, rather cleverly, comes together nicely.
This is my first outing with this author but on the back of what I read here, it most definitely won't be my last and I am adding his books to my tbr as I type. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

[Steve T · Rating 5 out of 5]

How could I not connect with a book that gets its title London Burning from a song on the first album by The Clash. The novel takes place in the late 70’s (very nostalgic for me) with references to The Clash and the New Musical Express - The NME wasn’t just a music paper documenting the jolt that the music industry had got from the rise of punk music it was also extremely political (left leaning) and commented on the political shenanigans of the time and the rise of the far right. This was a time in history where the political post war consensus of creating a fairer and more equal society - a country fit for heroes - was about to be transformed by Thatcher with her ‘there’s no such thing as society only individuals’ mantra.
Anyway back to the novel which captures the atmosphere of the time - the winter of discontent with many workers striking, rubbish piling up in the street, the rise of the far right marching with their Union Jacks, corrupt sexist and racist met police officers (although with recent events it looks as though not much has changed in 40 years), the IRA extending their bombing campaign to the mainland.
Into this period of history the novel London Burning throws a number of characters who’s paths will cross in events leading up to the general election of 1979.
The main characters are:-
Callum an English Lecturer and author but also an Irishman in London and therefore viewed with suspicion.
Hannah a reporter for The Ensign (The Guardian to you and me) who had previously written about the troubles in Ireland.
Vicky a Policewomen who gets mixed up in police corruption and IRA bombings.
Finally there is Freddie a theatre director about to put on a musical version of that famous socialist book The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists.
I immediately connected with the characters and the storytelling is brilliant and kept me turning the pages at a fast rate. The story is all about the changes that were happening in the country in the late seventies and the events that changes the lives of the characters in the book. Loved this book.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let’s get it out the way, the title is mis-leading. London doesn’t burn. It barely smoulders. The front cover (of the paperback) has coppers running toward a riot, truncheons drawn, yet this scene never actually happens in the book.

Without giving anything away, the story essentially centres around chance meetings (in London, obvs.) between a sober Irishman, a hot-shot journalist, a young copper and a wonderfully camp theatre director who is shagging one of his actresses. And just to be utterly clear, none of them catch fire, not even a bit.

Their lives play out and it’s all quite pleasant; the pros are skilfully written and you will get through the chapters fairly quickly (you don’t have to flick back and forwards to work out who is who, unlike  most ensemble books). The Irishman has a scrape with the IRA, the journalist gets her heart broken and the copper gets pulled into a corruption ring. The theatre director just keeps having affairs. And that’s the book. 

You think the IRA thing will kick off. It doesn’t. You think the journalist is going to stop a plot to kill an MP. She doesn’t. The copper works out all of the Met are dirty. She promises to do something but her fella gets killed and she thinks better of it. The theatre director does do his play though, so that’s nice. I think the writer probably wants to do a sequel, the only downside is, within this first book at least, nothing ever really comes to the boil.

London is lukewarm. Like rice at a curryhouse.

[Joe Stamber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthony Quinn grew up in the same era (but not the same area!) as myself, and he's clearly a fan of my favourite band, The Clash, who he thanks in his Acknowledgements. Of course, you don't need to be a fan of The Clash to enjoy the book, they just enjoy a few passing mentions. It took me a while to get my head around the four main characters, which meant that the story took a while to get going, but in reflection this was probably because Quinn takes the time to fully introduce them. The young female cop, the young male teacher from Newry, the thirty-something female reporter and the middle-aged male theatre director are all distinct and all have their stories to tell. Their threads all overlap in one way or another and this is what binds London, Burning (another paraphrased Clash reference) together. The background theme of Britain in crisis due to terrorist attacks, trade union unrest and unstable politics is woven well into the story rather than being tacked on. Quinn's style makes this an easy read for the most part, although he does enjoy throwing the odd highbrow word in to make a simple working class boy like me grateful for the Kindle dictionary. As the novel progressed, I got a real feel for the characters and what they were about. An enjoyable read, especially if you lived through the time period in question.

[Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oooh, I really enjoyed this book. Genre? I have no idea. I don’t know which of my bookshelves on my blog I’m going to put it on. A mixture I’d say – a bit of everything.

It’s set in the late 70’s, so a little bit of historical fiction, depending on how old you are of course. I was around 16/17 when this book was set, so it’s a part of my youth, though punk rock and The Clash were not a genre of music I was remotely interested in though they feature in this book. I was more the disco diva of the times – Earth Wind and Fire, Chic, that kind of thing.

Politics of the times are also referred to throughout, when the country was held to ransom by the unions and Labour with Jim Callaghan at the helm were in charge of running the country. Also a time when London and other cities in England were under constant threat of being blown to smithereens at the hands of the IRA.

At the beginning of the book the reader is gradually introduced to each of the four main characters. All strangers to begin with but as time moves on become more interlinked within the plot. A journalist, a policewoman, an English Literature lecturer in college and a theatrical director each have their own story to tell.

It’s difficult to say any more about the book without giving away the plot. It’s a mixed bag of all sorts, politics – though nothing too heavy, crime/thriller, some police corruption, even a smidgen of romance all adds to the enjoyment of this story.

I loved the way it is written, moving the reader from one scene to another to concentrate on each of the characters. It makes for compelling reading, and I was sorry to reach the end. I would definitely read more books from this author. In fact I have my eye on one of his books The Streets. Again set in London but this time the year is 1882.

[Greville Waterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved his previous book "Our friends in Berlin" and was hoping for a sequel but this is a quite wonderfully written, plotted and evocative novel about London in the late 1970s just before the rise to power of Margaret Thatcher.

It is a London riven with discord, discontent and fear. The unions are flexing their muscles, the rubbish lies rancid and uncollected and the IRA are mounting a war of terror with a car bomb campaign.

Everything is seen through the eyes of four sympathetically drawn characters. Vicky Tress, a policewoman whose honesty and integrity is put to the test, Hannah Strode, a talented journalist on the rise, Callum Conlan, a naive Irish writer and lecturer who mixes with the wrong crowd and finally Freddie Selves, a smugly successful director with an inflated view of his own self-importance.

Their lives are drawn together in a wide ranging and intoxicating brew of terrorism, political high jinx, misogyny and corruption and the read is an exhilarating one.

This is deservedly bound to be a best seller and likely to be made into a film.

Highly recommended.

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[Gaenor Bagley · Rating 5 out of 5]

London Burning is set in London in the late 70s; a time of multiple strikes, rubbish piling in the streets, the beleaguered labour government and the background menace of the IRA. Anthony Quinn creates a strong sense of life in the 70s, through recollections of the music of that time - The Clash, David Bowie, Kate Bush, Billy Joes, Diana Ross - particularly appealing to a fellow teenager of the 70s. Many of the character are drawn together by a shared love of a particular artist. There is a sinister background of bias and prejudice, whether against those with the Irish accent, or against women struggling to make their mark in the male worlds of the police and journalism.

There are 4 key characters and 4 accompanying plots which twist and turn around each other in the various networks of 70s London. Freddie Selves is a theatre impresario running the National Musical Theatre; an egotistical, amoral character with a passion for his art, who is battling to save his reputation. Vicky Tress is a talented police women selected for CID who uncovers corruption in the drug squad. Callum Conlan, a university lecturer, originally from Newry, Northern Ireland. A naive, unworldly type. A Clash fan who rescue’s Vicky’s brother Matt from a street mugging after a Clash concert. Hannah Strode, an up and coming Journalist, who specialises in profiling politicians, with a particular interest in the Northern Irish troubles. When the shadow Home Secretary is murdered by the IRA, and Callum is arrested for unbeknown to him hiding bomb equipment in his flat, the plot lines intertwine, as Hannah uses her journalistic skills to help Vicky demonstrate Callum’s innocence.

Anthony Quinn creates a strong sense of London in the 70s, together with the web of plot lines, drew me in as a reader and I read most of this book in a single sitting. I thought the ending was a refreshing balance of resolution, but with some ambiguity to leave the story with me, as I wondered about the future of the characters.

[Phil Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I could put 3.5 I would have. I found it an enjoyable read which one can easily imagine as a BBC three-parter. What stops me from giving it a higher rating is the fact that I am of an age who remembers the time quite well (and was/is an avid Clash fan). So two things jar: firstly, how quickly the Irish guy who is wrongly accused of being IRA is cleared. Sadly, as the Guildford Four and Birmingham 6 campaigns showed, that wasn’t usually the case. Then there’s the overwhelming narrative that Thatcher was a necessary evil because of the all-powerful union ‘barons’. The only character who speaks up for them is an obnoxious caricature. Yet, many people at the time did support the union action, did support them for standing up for working people - the union members for starters. Perhaps, these are quibbles, but because it is recent(ish) history, these things do lessen the enjoyment for me. That said though, it is worth a read.