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Bongo Fury
From the Bestselling author of A Chaser on the Rocks and More Faces, comes the noir novella Bongo Fury. Follow Maltman’s new protagonist as he tries to balance a music shop, his paramilitary family, a newborn, a little drug dealing and a spot of private detection.
A black comedy from the fresh new voice in Northern Irish Crime Fiction.
Previous
“A flair for adrenalin-packed action and unpredictable characters.”
Murder, Mayhem and More
“The mood is cynical, the wisecracks are plentiful.”
The High Window
“You hit the ground running and it’s a sprint finish.”
Crime Book Junkie
A black comedy from the fresh new voice in Northern Irish Crime Fiction.
Previous
“A flair for adrenalin-packed action and unpredictable characters.”
Murder, Mayhem and More
“The mood is cynical, the wisecracks are plentiful.”
The High Window
“You hit the ground running and it’s a sprint finish.”
Crime Book Junkie
50 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 15, 2017
1 person is currently reading
7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 13, 2017
I think Bongo Fury is a great setup for something bigger. The characters are fun (and the musical taste is impeccable), but the story itself was sort of the rote for a loan shark mixup story. That being said, I loved the casual style and, again, the great musical references. Will be reading more Maltman!
November 14, 2017
The main character, Jimmy Black, is a 42 year old nice guy trying to enjoy a simple life with his wife and baby. I say nice guy because that’s the cause of his problems. Trying to help a friend out, Jimmy Black winds up in over his head with the seedier part of Northern Ireland. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. Or at those trying to be good people.
The book is written in the first person. Jimmy is telling his story. He’s a great story teller. Amazing detail is included in Jimmy’s descriptions. I really like this guy.
Jimmy is Irish and uses a lot of slang common to his Homeland. I had to look up a bunch of words. This was my first book from this region. I thoroughly enjoyed being embedded in this tale.
Fast moving page turner.
The book is written in the first person. Jimmy is telling his story. He’s a great story teller. Amazing detail is included in Jimmy’s descriptions. I really like this guy.
Jimmy is Irish and uses a lot of slang common to his Homeland. I had to look up a bunch of words. This was my first book from this region. I thoroughly enjoyed being embedded in this tale.
Fast moving page turner.
June 15, 2017
Author succeeded in making me laugh against all odds - yeah, I don't usually embrace violence...
This is available as part of Kindle Unlimited, it was short and it was tidied up violence with a happy ending.
Some pretty funny imagery: banging a thug on the head with a banjo was one, and then there is the head of a gang who enjoys intimidating by polishing his rifle case and then progresses to polishing the rifle.
This is available as part of Kindle Unlimited, it was short and it was tidied up violence with a happy ending.
Some pretty funny imagery: banging a thug on the head with a banjo was one, and then there is the head of a gang who enjoys intimidating by polishing his rifle case and then progresses to polishing the rifle.
October 25, 2017
A short story/novella that centers around Jimmy Black, owner of the Bongo Fury music shop, family man, amateur private eye, and part time drug dealer. When Jimmy tries to help out a friend who is short on the cash he owes to some unsavory characters he ends up in a bit of trouble himself.
This is not my usual type of story but I did find it to be a quick and engaging read, sprinkled with humor here and there. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
I received a complimentary copy for review.
This is not my usual type of story but I did find it to be a quick and engaging read, sprinkled with humor here and there. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
I received a complimentary copy for review.
June 17, 2017
Firstly I have to say if you are easily offended by ‘bad’ language, then this book isn’t probably for you but if you prefer a bit of realism in the context of the story that it is portraying then OMG are you in for a belting ride, so buckle up!
Set in one of the more undesirable areas of Northern Ireland, Jimmy Black age 42 is settled down with his partner and baby girl and just wants a steady life but sometimes fate has other ideas. Ok so he does a little wheeling and dealing of the smoking variety and well yep he does have a bit of a hot house thing going in his man cave but a bloke has to carve out a living where he can. He does of course have his Music shop that also makes for a good collection point for selling on his drugs but every little helps. All in all he has turned out to be a decent bloke, even if it did take time. He is willing to even lend a hand to a old mate when he can but boy, oh boy, there is lending a hand and putting your life on the line!
You see it is all about respect and where you sit on the pecking order of these Northern Ireland streets. Get ready to meet some pretty scary guys that can turn to jelly when they just hear the names of blokes above them. Each one I thought ‘hell he is a bad ass’ to find out he was just a pussy cat when I meet the next one. Don’t get me wrong the first bloke would slit your throat as soon as look at you but the next one up the ladder would just enjoy it that bit more.
What really got me about reading this book was it was simply everyday life about ordinary people that could live anywhere on any street. Now that is stuff that makes you tingle and skin crawl. You just think this really is some Joe Blogs’ life somewhere and it makes you shudder. This is gritty tell it as it really is writing that kind of leaves you stunned when you finish reading. A very gripping dark humoured novella.
Set in one of the more undesirable areas of Northern Ireland, Jimmy Black age 42 is settled down with his partner and baby girl and just wants a steady life but sometimes fate has other ideas. Ok so he does a little wheeling and dealing of the smoking variety and well yep he does have a bit of a hot house thing going in his man cave but a bloke has to carve out a living where he can. He does of course have his Music shop that also makes for a good collection point for selling on his drugs but every little helps. All in all he has turned out to be a decent bloke, even if it did take time. He is willing to even lend a hand to a old mate when he can but boy, oh boy, there is lending a hand and putting your life on the line!
You see it is all about respect and where you sit on the pecking order of these Northern Ireland streets. Get ready to meet some pretty scary guys that can turn to jelly when they just hear the names of blokes above them. Each one I thought ‘hell he is a bad ass’ to find out he was just a pussy cat when I meet the next one. Don’t get me wrong the first bloke would slit your throat as soon as look at you but the next one up the ladder would just enjoy it that bit more.
What really got me about reading this book was it was simply everyday life about ordinary people that could live anywhere on any street. Now that is stuff that makes you tingle and skin crawl. You just think this really is some Joe Blogs’ life somewhere and it makes you shudder. This is gritty tell it as it really is writing that kind of leaves you stunned when you finish reading. A very gripping dark humoured novella.
June 16, 2017
My rating: 3.2 out of 5 stars
I am always a little unsure how to review a short story / Novella and this is a short read at 40 pages..
Jimmy Black is a wannabe baddie who dabbles in all things not quite legal and when a friend asks him to get some debt collectors off his back it is obvious Jimmy is going to end up under the radar of the gang leaders.
It is difficult to build complex characters within a novella and I thought the characters, in this one, were a bit vague for me. It also isn't really my kind of story which didn’t help much either.
Far too much bad language for my liking and I thought that overall the book really needs more work to bring it up to a decent standard with more defined characters and less, unnecessary, bad language. I think I have a good idea where the author is going with this book / series but feel he needs to make this more appealing to a wider range of readers if it is to survive the first hurdle and persuade readers to buy in to the series.
Thank you to Simon for the free advance copy of this book.
I am always a little unsure how to review a short story / Novella and this is a short read at 40 pages..
Jimmy Black is a wannabe baddie who dabbles in all things not quite legal and when a friend asks him to get some debt collectors off his back it is obvious Jimmy is going to end up under the radar of the gang leaders.
It is difficult to build complex characters within a novella and I thought the characters, in this one, were a bit vague for me. It also isn't really my kind of story which didn’t help much either.
Far too much bad language for my liking and I thought that overall the book really needs more work to bring it up to a decent standard with more defined characters and less, unnecessary, bad language. I think I have a good idea where the author is going with this book / series but feel he needs to make this more appealing to a wider range of readers if it is to survive the first hurdle and persuade readers to buy in to the series.
Thank you to Simon for the free advance copy of this book.
September 25, 2017
[Note: This book was provided free of charge by Books Go Social. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]
Despite my ancestry, I don't read nearly as much about the Scot-Irish of Northern Ireland (and other places) or the trouble in Ireland as I would prefer to [1]. This is a book that is probably easiest to read if you have a bit of a brogue and can at least relate to life in Northern Ireland, and have understanding of the paramilitary situation there. The author, who I'm not particularly familiar with, has apparently developed a reputation of writing entertaining crime stories about life in Northern Ireland, and this is definitely along those lines. It is apparently the first part of a novel, but was sent to me as an independent short story. I must say that I found the story highly entertaining and would definitely be interested in reading the rest of the sections if and when they are available. Not everyone wants to read about the travails of entrepreneurs and private investigators in an environment of gang violence, but that is definitely the sort of material that is my wheelhouse as a reader and reviewer for whatever reason.
Anyway, this particular short story is about 50 pages in length. As such, it's a pretty classic length for a short story, and keeps up its plot rather vividly. The plot itself consists of a gang version of a Ponzi scheme. Our hero, a music selling middle-aged small business owner from Bangor who also grows and deals a bit of marijuana on the side, tries to help out a friend who owes a bit of money and then finds himself involved in a larger mess involving a local gang leader, and then ends up doing a favor for said gang leader in order to smooth over some trouble that he had with some of his goons. The story shows itself as greatly self-aware, with humorous jokes about Snow Patrol, a band I happen to like, as well as private investigators of crime fiction fast like the legendary Philip Marlowe. This is a story that is aware of genre and invites the reader to view those genre conventions either faithfully or ironically depending on their tastes and preferences. Like much of contemporary writing, the hero of the story certainly stands apart from society and clearly operates outside of the law without compunction, but the story is compelling enough to draw interest in the larger tale which is foreshadowed throughout.
This is the sort of story that will be particularly appreciated by those who happen to like crime fiction and have either an interest or a knowledge of complicated political context of Northern Ireland. The story has an interesting protagonist and some worthwhile minor characters, and is filled with a great deal of entertaining action as well as an ominous mood of gloomy foreshadowing. Of particular interest is the way that every effort by the protagonist at sorting out the immediate problem only gets him involved deeper and deeper in a problem that defies his comprehension and limited capacity of imagination. He wants to sell some old music and enjoy the company of friends and his girlfriend and daughter and he keeps on having to engage in difficult and dangerous business that anger people further and further up the hierarchy of very bad people in the area. This story even hints that he ended up being in the tabloids, which would have required dealing with very important people in a very flamboyant way, which itself draws immediate interest in seeing how this story turns out. Any yarn which makes you want to read the larger story is definitely worth praising.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2013...
Despite my ancestry, I don't read nearly as much about the Scot-Irish of Northern Ireland (and other places) or the trouble in Ireland as I would prefer to [1]. This is a book that is probably easiest to read if you have a bit of a brogue and can at least relate to life in Northern Ireland, and have understanding of the paramilitary situation there. The author, who I'm not particularly familiar with, has apparently developed a reputation of writing entertaining crime stories about life in Northern Ireland, and this is definitely along those lines. It is apparently the first part of a novel, but was sent to me as an independent short story. I must say that I found the story highly entertaining and would definitely be interested in reading the rest of the sections if and when they are available. Not everyone wants to read about the travails of entrepreneurs and private investigators in an environment of gang violence, but that is definitely the sort of material that is my wheelhouse as a reader and reviewer for whatever reason.
Anyway, this particular short story is about 50 pages in length. As such, it's a pretty classic length for a short story, and keeps up its plot rather vividly. The plot itself consists of a gang version of a Ponzi scheme. Our hero, a music selling middle-aged small business owner from Bangor who also grows and deals a bit of marijuana on the side, tries to help out a friend who owes a bit of money and then finds himself involved in a larger mess involving a local gang leader, and then ends up doing a favor for said gang leader in order to smooth over some trouble that he had with some of his goons. The story shows itself as greatly self-aware, with humorous jokes about Snow Patrol, a band I happen to like, as well as private investigators of crime fiction fast like the legendary Philip Marlowe. This is a story that is aware of genre and invites the reader to view those genre conventions either faithfully or ironically depending on their tastes and preferences. Like much of contemporary writing, the hero of the story certainly stands apart from society and clearly operates outside of the law without compunction, but the story is compelling enough to draw interest in the larger tale which is foreshadowed throughout.
This is the sort of story that will be particularly appreciated by those who happen to like crime fiction and have either an interest or a knowledge of complicated political context of Northern Ireland. The story has an interesting protagonist and some worthwhile minor characters, and is filled with a great deal of entertaining action as well as an ominous mood of gloomy foreshadowing. Of particular interest is the way that every effort by the protagonist at sorting out the immediate problem only gets him involved deeper and deeper in a problem that defies his comprehension and limited capacity of imagination. He wants to sell some old music and enjoy the company of friends and his girlfriend and daughter and he keeps on having to engage in difficult and dangerous business that anger people further and further up the hierarchy of very bad people in the area. This story even hints that he ended up being in the tabloids, which would have required dealing with very important people in a very flamboyant way, which itself draws immediate interest in seeing how this story turns out. Any yarn which makes you want to read the larger story is definitely worth praising.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2013...
June 27, 2017
This really is a case of short and sweet. And when I say sweet I mean in the ‘I really enjoyed it’ sense of the word rather than the fact that it is saccharin or nice. In this novella we meet Jimmy a small group of his family, friends and, how shall I put it, acquaintances, many of whom perhaps have dalliances on the wrong side of the law. When his friend Stevie asks him for a small favour, Jimmy has no idea how far out of hand it will soon get, but the chaos that ensures really does give a flavour of how this novella series is going to run.
I liked the character or Jimmy – the lad from the tough estate in Northern Ireland who is trying to make something of himself through his own little music shop – and I found that I warmed to him and Simon Maltman’s writing style very quickly. The story is told by Jimmy and his quite matter of fact and practical about life, if on occasion a little quick to react. We don’t see many of the other characters for long but they are a varied and original bunch who are very well observed and written. And yet they feel real. Believable.
I can’t say too much about the plot as this is a very short story – just 50 pages long – and anything I do say could possibly give away a key part of the puzzle. But this did engage from first page until last and I found myself sailing through it in no time. It really did help to have a central protagonist you could get behind. There is no real major violence in this novella. That’s not to say violence doesn’t occur but it is not gratuitous – more bar room brawl-esque. There is even one amusing segment in Jimmy’s shop involving a child’s ukulele. There is just a sense of the everyday rather than the fantastical about it, even down to the language chosen. Heck – Jimmy is a guy who takes time to feed his toddler and play with her and manage bed time. He is not some hardened gangland crim, making him even more likeable as a result. But above all, there is mystery and a little action at the heart of this story and I am curious to see how it all unfurls from here.
An enjoyable interlude and a great start to a new series. Can’t wait to read more.
I liked the character or Jimmy – the lad from the tough estate in Northern Ireland who is trying to make something of himself through his own little music shop – and I found that I warmed to him and Simon Maltman’s writing style very quickly. The story is told by Jimmy and his quite matter of fact and practical about life, if on occasion a little quick to react. We don’t see many of the other characters for long but they are a varied and original bunch who are very well observed and written. And yet they feel real. Believable.
I can’t say too much about the plot as this is a very short story – just 50 pages long – and anything I do say could possibly give away a key part of the puzzle. But this did engage from first page until last and I found myself sailing through it in no time. It really did help to have a central protagonist you could get behind. There is no real major violence in this novella. That’s not to say violence doesn’t occur but it is not gratuitous – more bar room brawl-esque. There is even one amusing segment in Jimmy’s shop involving a child’s ukulele. There is just a sense of the everyday rather than the fantastical about it, even down to the language chosen. Heck – Jimmy is a guy who takes time to feed his toddler and play with her and manage bed time. He is not some hardened gangland crim, making him even more likeable as a result. But above all, there is mystery and a little action at the heart of this story and I am curious to see how it all unfurls from here.
An enjoyable interlude and a great start to a new series. Can’t wait to read more.
December 30, 2019
Not usually the type of book I choose bit I flew through this in 2 days. Likeable characters, enjoyable writing style using local language and phrases. Dark with a funny edge or funny with a dark edge? I'm not sure but I know I'll be reading the rest of this series.
March 21, 2018
Do you want to read a humorous thriller novella set in Northern Ireland? Of course you would, who wouldn't?
Bongo fury introduces Jimmy, a man who just wants to run his music shop in peace. But when a friend asks for his help he ends up plunged into a world of gangsters, organised crime and drug deals. He has to use all of his considerable wits to escape from this unscathed.
This story turns on the character of Jimmy, and fortunately he's a terrific narrator, regarding events with a world-weary black humour even when they turn very much against him. The plot is fairly slight but runs at a fast pace so that really doesn't matter very much. What matters is how much fun this book is to read, and it's a lot of fun. Even better is that there is a Bongo Fury 2 which carries the story on.
Note: Lots of bad language and some violence
Bongo fury introduces Jimmy, a man who just wants to run his music shop in peace. But when a friend asks for his help he ends up plunged into a world of gangsters, organised crime and drug deals. He has to use all of his considerable wits to escape from this unscathed.
This story turns on the character of Jimmy, and fortunately he's a terrific narrator, regarding events with a world-weary black humour even when they turn very much against him. The plot is fairly slight but runs at a fast pace so that really doesn't matter very much. What matters is how much fun this book is to read, and it's a lot of fun. Even better is that there is a Bongo Fury 2 which carries the story on.
Note: Lots of bad language and some violence
November 20, 2017
Jimmy Black is trying to help a friend, but gets "sucked" in deeper than he figured. Jimmy is a small time operator who realizes that he has a family that he needs to protect. Interesting short story that has a touch of nostalgia. Jim's "little" record store is the perfect background. A little conspiracy that gives the book some mystery for interest. A quick read with a little bit of humor, Need something to read between books, while waiting for an appointment or just because you don't want to start a novel? Try this one for a change of pace.
September 12, 2020
Fine read
A fast paced novella set in Northern Ireland. Jimmy,the main character, tries to help a friend get a loan extension from a gangster. Events escalate when a bigger mob boss gets involved. Jimmy turns to his older brother for assistance. Interesting characters and a well written story. Recommended.
A fast paced novella set in Northern Ireland. Jimmy,the main character, tries to help a friend get a loan extension from a gangster. Events escalate when a bigger mob boss gets involved. Jimmy turns to his older brother for assistance. Interesting characters and a well written story. Recommended.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews