Boldt

by Ted Lewis

Chipped, worn and torn dust jakcet is in a protective sleeve, bookseller's pencil marks, page edges marked, slight lean to spine . Shipped from the U.K. All orders received before 3pm sent that weekday.

Genres: Crime, Thriller

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Ted Lewis (1940 – 1982) was a British writer born in Manchester, an only child. After World War II the family moved to Barton-upon-Humber in 1947. He had a strict upbringing and his parents did not want their son to go to art school, but Ted's English teacher Henry Treece, recognising his creative talents in writing and art, persuaded them not to stand in his way.

Lewis attended Hull Art School for four years. His first work was in London, in advertising, and then as an animation specialist in television and films (among them the Beatles' Yellow Submarine). His first novel, All the Way Home and All the Night Through was published in 1965, followed by Jack's Return Home, subsequently retitled Get Carter after the success of the film of the same name starring Michael Caine, which created the noir school of British crime writing and pushed Lewis into the best-seller list. After the collapse of his marriage Lewis returned to his home town in the 1970s.

Ted Lewis died in 1982 having published seven more novels and written several episodes for the television series Z-Cars.

Reviews

[Jordan West · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5; ugly, often unpleasant, and arguably lesser Lewis that asks what if Dirty Harry was also the Bad Lieutenant (and had virtually no redeeming qualities), but as unapologetically vile as our as racist, authoritarian, self-serving protagonist is, he's also a source of psychological/sociological fascination, seemingly posited as one of many symptoms of a broken society. Suffused with high-octane 70s style ennui and cynicism, the ending, which is bleak even by Lewis' standards, helps push the book over the line to something approaching greatness - a no-exit revenge play gotterdamerung as dark and desperate as anything in Thompson which suggests that evil being destroyed by evil in turn is perhaps the best we can hope for.

[Joe Nicholl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just OK...Ted Lewis wrote Get Carter...I bought Boldt then was told it's Lewis's weakest book...High points: the main plot is pretty good, Boldt is a hard nosed detective whose brother, a politician, is coming to town and is marked for assassination...OK, not a bad idea...but the story-line veers off a number of times into ultra-violence & kinky sex, plus a stop at a wild gay bar -??? But, I must say that every-time the story gets off track it returns...and the ending is pretty good...but, yeah, over-all just Ok, I would only recommend reading it if you are a Ted Lewis completest...two stars.

[David Phillips · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a big Ted Lewis fan, the Carter series is excellent, the same goes for GBH and Plender.
This is poor in relation. Credit to Lewis, he was trying something else. A US based novel that has similarities in style with his other work but, it lacks the same charisma and humour. If anything, it reads as quite a bitter and unhappy book.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

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

Not Lewis's best book. Very much a novel of its time. Very brutal, with the sort of end we come to expect from Mr Lewis.

[AntG · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having read the other excellent Ted Lewis offerings, this was disappointing and obviously targeted at the U.S market. Glad I read it though as I now only have one more T.L.book to read.

[Paddy Hirsch · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Lewis’ most nasty and violent novel.” You can say that again. Too nasty for me, and I have a pretty strong stomach. I couldn’t finish it.