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Running Hot
Elijah `Schoolboy' Campbell is taking a great offer to leave Hackney behind and start a new life, but he has just seven days to get out of a London underworld where bling, ringtones, and petty deaths are accessories of life. Schoolboy knows that when you're running hot all it takes is one call, one voicemail, one text to disconnect you from this life - permanently. A stark, moving, and funny account of a largely hidden world.
- GenresFiction
303 pages, Paperback
First published December 15, 2004
2 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
About the author
Dreda Say Mitchell
46 books520 followersHer Majesty, The Queen appointed Dreda an MBE in her 2020 New Year’s Honours’ List. Dreda scooped the CWA’s John Creasey Dagger in 2004, the first time a Black British author has received this honour. Dreda and Ryan write across the crime and mystery genre – psychological thrillers, gritty gangland crime and fast-paced action books Spare Room, their first psychological thriller was a #1 UK and US Amazon Bestseller. Dreda is one of twelve acclaimed and bestselling international female writers contributing to a new Miss Marple anthology. Dreda is a passionate campaigner and speaker on social issues and the arts. She has been a frequent guest on television and radio including BBC Breakfast,, Celebrity Pointless and Celebrity Eggheads, The Stephen Nolan Show, Front Row and Woman’s Hour. She has presented Radio 4’s flagship books programme, Open Book. Dreda was named one of Britain’s 50 Remarkable Women by Lady Geek in association with Nokia. She was the 2011 chair of the Theakston Harrogate Crime Fiction Festival. Dreda was born and raised in the East End of London where she continues to live. Dreda’s family are from the beautiful Caribbean island of Grenada and her name is pronounced with a long ‘ee’ sound in the middle.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 3, 2022
This is not the sort of book I normally read. It was enjoyable but I'm not sure I want to read any more by this author.
I would describe it as a farce. You know the sort of story where the main characters are always doing the wrong thing and it's frustrating because you can see they've made some bad decisions and things are not going to resolve themselves easily.
This particular farce is set in Hackney among street gangs.
It was written in 2004 so you have to get used to the idea of it talking about some fairly old tech. In particular mobile phones. The premise is that the main character, Schoolboy, a bit of a chancer, comes across a phone which was in someone's trainer and decides to take it, thinking he can sell it for a few quid. What he doesn't realise is that this is no ordinary phone, and a couple of different gangs want it badly.
The problem I had was that this is from the days when smart phones were fairly new if they were around at all. Most of the mobiles around at the time had simple screens or were of the clam shell variety. The mobile that Schoolboy took is described as old fashioned, even then, and often described as "the brick". And yet we're supposed to believe that someone was walking around with this phone hidden in their trainer? That didn't seem quite right to me.
I would describe it as a farce. You know the sort of story where the main characters are always doing the wrong thing and it's frustrating because you can see they've made some bad decisions and things are not going to resolve themselves easily.
This particular farce is set in Hackney among street gangs.
It was written in 2004 so you have to get used to the idea of it talking about some fairly old tech. In particular mobile phones. The premise is that the main character, Schoolboy, a bit of a chancer, comes across a phone which was in someone's trainer and decides to take it, thinking he can sell it for a few quid. What he doesn't realise is that this is no ordinary phone, and a couple of different gangs want it badly.
The problem I had was that this is from the days when smart phones were fairly new if they were around at all. Most of the mobiles around at the time had simple screens or were of the clam shell variety. The mobile that Schoolboy took is described as old fashioned, even then, and often described as "the brick". And yet we're supposed to believe that someone was walking around with this phone hidden in their trainer? That didn't seem quite right to me.
June 19, 2012
I only recently discovered Dreda Say Mitchell and was blown away with her two latest books Geezer Girls and Gangster Girls. I decided to buy her other two books and pre-order her newest which is due for release in March 2011. This book Running Hot was her debut novel which was published in 2004.
When the book arrived I was surprised to see it was a little shorter that the other two at just over 300 pages. I liked the sound of the write up on the jacket and was really looking forward to this one.
The book doesn't take long to get in to but the only thing that is a vast difference to her others is the setting of this one. Set in Hackney in London we meet people from `the street' and what goes with that is the way they talk. I worked in South East London for over 8 years so had no problem deciphering what the street lingo was but some people may struggle at times. To give you an example the word `ting' is used for `thing' so if you struggle with language written the way it is spoken on the street you may not be a fan.
However, this was no issue for me and I found myself being drawn into the world of Schoolboy. In actual fact I think the way the language is written makes it more urban and gritty and takes a lot less time and imagination to really get a feel for what life is like in that part of Hackney for Schoolboy.
When he discovers the phone at the very beginning, we also see excerpts from the people that are hunting the phone, and they are not happy people! The whole story is based on what on earth Schoolboy can do to get rid of the phone that everybody seems to want and at the same time get the case he so desperately needs to start afresh.
The one thing I really liked is the fact that this story and style was completely different to her other books and it makes it all the more interesting. If I was being completely honest I would have to say I prefer her newer stuff but this was still a great book. You get the impression that the descriptions and scenarios that play out sometimes are not that far from the truth of some of London's more shady areas. We meet other characters along the way, and the most memorable would be `Queen' who quite frankly would not be somebody I would want to get on the wrong side of. There are other people who pay a part in Schoolboy's life but to be honest the book focuses solely on his dilemma and the highs and lows of his life.
I liked the ending and finished the book thinking that I had read something a little bit different. Like I said I couldn't compare it to her newer stuff as they are exceptional but this is still a great read and definitely something fresh and new as far as writing goes
When the book arrived I was surprised to see it was a little shorter that the other two at just over 300 pages. I liked the sound of the write up on the jacket and was really looking forward to this one.
The book doesn't take long to get in to but the only thing that is a vast difference to her others is the setting of this one. Set in Hackney in London we meet people from `the street' and what goes with that is the way they talk. I worked in South East London for over 8 years so had no problem deciphering what the street lingo was but some people may struggle at times. To give you an example the word `ting' is used for `thing' so if you struggle with language written the way it is spoken on the street you may not be a fan.
However, this was no issue for me and I found myself being drawn into the world of Schoolboy. In actual fact I think the way the language is written makes it more urban and gritty and takes a lot less time and imagination to really get a feel for what life is like in that part of Hackney for Schoolboy.
When he discovers the phone at the very beginning, we also see excerpts from the people that are hunting the phone, and they are not happy people! The whole story is based on what on earth Schoolboy can do to get rid of the phone that everybody seems to want and at the same time get the case he so desperately needs to start afresh.
The one thing I really liked is the fact that this story and style was completely different to her other books and it makes it all the more interesting. If I was being completely honest I would have to say I prefer her newer stuff but this was still a great book. You get the impression that the descriptions and scenarios that play out sometimes are not that far from the truth of some of London's more shady areas. We meet other characters along the way, and the most memorable would be `Queen' who quite frankly would not be somebody I would want to get on the wrong side of. There are other people who pay a part in Schoolboy's life but to be honest the book focuses solely on his dilemma and the highs and lows of his life.
I liked the ending and finished the book thinking that I had read something a little bit different. Like I said I couldn't compare it to her newer stuff as they are exceptional but this is still a great read and definitely something fresh and new as far as writing goes
February 19, 2012
finished the book yesterday.
How are we supposed to like the main character Schoolboy? He is allegedly looking to make a new start and just needs money for his ticket to devon, his knives and his 'amsterdam'. Unfortunately instead of explaining the situation to his sister who he wants to borrow some of the money from he acts all mysterious and macho. What does he do steals a mb from a dead body, which leads him into a great deal of trouble. He is more interested in his garms and mb than going straight.
A few surprises at the end of the story. Who is no. 8? and what is in the parcel.
After hot girls i'm disappointed and will not be reading any more of Dreda' books.
How are we supposed to like the main character Schoolboy? He is allegedly looking to make a new start and just needs money for his ticket to devon, his knives and his 'amsterdam'. Unfortunately instead of explaining the situation to his sister who he wants to borrow some of the money from he acts all mysterious and macho. What does he do steals a mb from a dead body, which leads him into a great deal of trouble. He is more interested in his garms and mb than going straight.
A few surprises at the end of the story. Who is no. 8? and what is in the parcel.
After hot girls i'm disappointed and will not be reading any more of Dreda' books.
December 6, 2008
An intense, poetic yet immensely readable debut novel concerning the attempts of a young London man to escape an environment of crime and realise his ambitions. The plot is driven by the theft of a mobile 'phone which, for reasons the reader is kept unaware of for most of the book, is being pursued by violent and sinister agents. What could have been a collection of the worst crime cliches is, in the hands of this fantastic writer, transformed into a dazzling novel which is compelling, at times amusing and utterly humane, particularly in its depiction of black urban culture.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews