Wacko Hacko

by Nasser Hashmi (contributor)

Tabloid reporter Jamie Parkes makes up stories, secretly listens to voicemail and uses material from the bins of celebrities and MPs. But after one of his major stories is spiked by scheming editor Warren Fitton, he turns whistleblower to uncover phone hacking and corruption on his newspaper.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crime

410 pages, Paperback

First published July 28, 2014

About the author

Longlisted for the Bath Novel Prize 2017 for In A Rushdie Winter

Nasser Hashmi's north-west England roots influenced most of his early work such as 'Season of Sid' and 'A Fistful of Dust' but he has recently branched out to tackle more challenging, global issues such as phone hacking (Wacko Hacko) and the Salman Rushdie affair (In A Rushdie Winter).

At school, Nasser failed all his exams. This may have been because he had epilepsy from the age of 12 and had undiagnosed coeliac disease from pre-age school. Both these diseases are now under control.

But it also may have also been because he wasn’t very academic. Some writers are; some aren’t. Some are daydreamers. Some bang their head against desks because they’ve had a seizure. The only requirement for a novelist is a hazy image and a junkie-like thirst for sentences. Also keeping DVD on loop is handy: Determination, Vision, Determination, Vision, Determination…you get the picture.

After school, Nasser drifted into jobs in restaurants, factories and motor insurance companies before trying to get back into higher education as a mature student. He somehow got a degree and then broke into local journalism, eventually getting a sports sub-editing job on the Sunday Mirror. Along with his novels and sub-editing, he also enjoys writing on his arts blog at nasseronmars.com which has articles on the likes of Sylvia Plath, Ian Curtis and Werner Herzog.

Reviews

[Shabs Hussain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well-written and gripping story of the endless phone-hacking drama that has dominated UK papers in the last few years. Yes, there's a lot of sex and skullduggery - but that's British tabloids for you! I found most of the characters three-dimensional and believable, particularly the female ones, even though they seem to be in the firing line most of the time.
I notice from his blog that the author has worked in tabloid papers for years. It shows because the level of detail and authenticity is very strong.
After this, I want to read Hack Attack and see George Clooney's film too but, honestly, this is about as good as it gets for now.

[Kimberley Houston]

Just received my copy of wacko hacko excited to start it!

[Sabrina Laitinen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am really struggling with this book. From the beginning I was confused by the many characters and their roles, and it just frustrated me to the point I couldn't bear to read any more. I rarely NOT finish a book, but this one completely wore me down. I won this book on a GOODREADS giveaway.

[Cocoispuffed · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would and just couldn't understand it. I got this book from giveaways.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book as a Goodreads giveaway.

I despise everything about tabloid journalism so didn't really expect to like it - quite the opposite in fact.

As it turned out, it was a good read, although I did find it difficult to follow at times and had to flick back and re-read some sections to swot up on the various characters - which were too many really.

Not my cup of tea, but with the above exception, well-written I thought.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received this from Goodreads and tbh it has taken me far too long to get round to reading it.
I took it on holiday with me this year though and the intriguing description of the book meant that I read it in favour of my more usual holiday reading of a political thriller.
The book is certainly interesting and I read it in a couple of days. I didnt love it though but I cant explain why.
Worthy of a look though if the phone hacking exploits of the tabloids interest you.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from Goodreads. Jamie Parkes, the main character is a tabloid reporter in the UK. The story told what he and the other reporters did to get their stories. Jamie later decided to change his reporting and was met with a lot of trouble.

[Etienne Delport · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received as a Goodreads giveaway. A thoroughly enjoyable read.