London Boulevard

by Ken Bruen

When Mitchell is released from prison after serving three years for a vicious attack he doesn't even remember, Billy Norton is there to pick him up. But Norton works for Tommy Logan, a ruthless loan shark lowlife with plans Mitchell wants nothing to do with.

Attempting to stay out of Logan's way, he finds work at the Holland Park mansion of faded movie actress, Lillian Palmer, where he has to deal with her mysterious butler, Jordan.

It isn't long before Mitchell's violent past catches up with him and people start getting hurt. When his disturbed sister Briony is threatened, Mitchell is forced to act.

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Mystery, Noir, Thriller, Ireland, Contemporary

237 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2002

About the author

Ken Bruen was an Irish writer of hardboiled and noir crime fiction.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Oh God, Mitch, you crazy bastard. You're out...what? Ten minutes...and you're at it already. You can't be losing it."

"I didn't lose it, Billy."

"What, you smash the guy's arm, that's not losing it?"

"If I'd lost it, I'd have broken his neck."

You can probably guess...Mitch is NOT on his way to pick up a Humanitarian of the Year award.

Mitch has been warned that after three years in prison, he might find adapting to life on the outside a bit difficult, but he's been out only 24 hours, and already he's got a nice flat, a closet full of clothes, and plenty of job offers.

Too bad just about all of those offers may get him sent back to the pen, or maybe even...dead.

This is a nice, taut thriller. Lots of great references to pop culture and other crime writers. I added quite a bit to my "to-read" list. I didn't plan to read it all in one day, but once I started, not much else seemed as important as this book. I liked it so much, I decided to watch the film version right after I finished reading.

BIG MISTAKE!

So, technically the book review is over. Now I'm gonna rant about the movie. WHAT THE HELL? Was the idea of a 45-year-old man having sex with an attractive 60-year-old woman so off-putting that they had to totally rewrite her character and replace her with an anorexic woman in her twenties? CURSE YOU FILM INDUSTRY AND YOUR DAMNED DOUBLE STANDARDS! (GRRRR!!! Must stop gnashing teeth. Will need them later in case I ever get a chance to bite the bastard responsible for this travesty!)

[Toby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bruen writes real page turning stuff here, it's not an incredible piece of noir by any stretch of the imagination but what he has done is written a really very good piece of MODERN crime fiction. It's not like that's particularly difficult with the amount of garbage that gets published in the genre these days. It's fast paced, it's LOADED with pop culture references, and it's incredibly knowing from start to finish. Wait, does that make it post-modern?

Colin Farrell gets out of prison, somehow gets himself a job as a handyman for some rich old actress, crimes happen, the criminal underworld circles he moves in ebb and flow to accommodate his return to their world, the outline of Sunset Boulevard is tacked on, all in all it's a pretty cool little tale.

Having read two Bruen's in a row featuring different characters in different cities I had a major problem with his writing from the very start of this book. He only knows one voice, one way to write, Colin Farrell has an inner monologue that sounds just like Jack Taylor, only slightly less miserable and supposedly English. There's the other problem I had too, for a man who only ever loved two things you'd think he would use the right word to refer to it. I've never heard a single Londoner refer to football as soccer, it's a small detail sure but if you're trying to provide a sense of realism (and what else would constantly talking about pop music and crime novels and tube stations be if not an attempt at realism? If you start thinking about that too much this entire novel falls apart so don't) when writing a middle aged Londoner you should probably try not to think like a middle aged man from Galway.

Yeah the pop culture references were a bit much too, who really cares how widely read Ken Bruen is? Constantly name dropping "forgotten greats" of noir does not magically make your novel of the same quality. Giving James Ellroy a cameo on the other hand...

I dig Bruen's work so far but I think I'll only check out more if I run out of other people to read. As he points out, there's all this David Goodis and Charles Willeford and James Ellroy to get through first.

[Ed [Redacted] · Rating 4 out of 5]

London Boulevard purports to be an updating of the Sunset Blvd story moved to London in the present (at the time of the writing). The similarities to Sunset Blvd are really surface at best. There is an aging actress and the protagonist is financially supported by said actress however the Sunset Blvd similarities appear to be pasted onto the framework of a very good noir crime novel. The protagonist, Mitchell, is recently released from prison for a crime he was too drunk to remember. His friend, Norton, helps to set him back up in his old way of life, but with a few catches Mitchell is not willing to go along with. This leads to some difficulties with the local crime boss.

At the same time, Mitchell finds "honest" work as a handyman for an aging actress with an interesting butler. Hilarity ensues and the butler turns out to be full of surprises.

This is the first Ken Bruen book I have read after hearing and reading rave reviews of much of his work. I suspect this is not Bruen's strongest novel (he is much better known for his detective novels), and yet I could see genius at work all the same. Mitchell is exactly the type of flawed, amoral, completely awesome criminal that I love reading about. Fans of Parker or similar criminal protagonists will enjoy Mitchell I suspect. He is much more rounded a character than many of the criminal protagonists currently knocking somebody or the other's teeth out in a book near you. I now count myself a Bruen fan. 4/5

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first encounter with this writer which I can honestly say is quite brilliant. This story about the misadventures of a released convict has him assaulting a window washer within an hour of release. That said I had no sympathy at all for the victim. Anytime a human thinks that lama behaviour is acceptable he/she should not be surprised if they'd receive a decent kicking.

Anyhow while the main character Mitchell does plan to stay out of jail after stint of 3 year due to a case of GBH which he cannot remember due to his state of drunken stupor, his direct environment does not promise anything like that. He does find himself back into the world of London underworld. He does manage to get a job with a aging movie star and she kinda fancies him.

Mitchel does his best to keep clear of any trouble and as a result trouble is finding him. The dialogues as written by Bruen are bloody great and funny. Mitchell loves his crime novels and does quote quite a few lines from the various authors he really likes in the genre. This book I would consider a London Noir tale. The story is light on his feet, wickedly funny and full of interesting observations, and it is such an easy read. You'll find yourself in the middle of quite few unsavory characters and yet they are fun company to spend time with.

Well advised read, I will certain vist this writer a wee bit more in the future (good thing I bought three hardcovers of this writer at the same time)

[Encarni Prados · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hay veces que, bien por un reto, bien porque te atrae una portada, descubres un libro hecho a la medida para ti, afortunadamente, este caso se ha dado para mí con London Boulevard. No conocía al autor, mucho menos el libro pero tenía que leer un libro con un nombre de ciudad en el título y este me sedujo por su portada, “Si estos dos buenos actores han hecho película de él debe ser bueno” pensé; además, me atrajo su aire de Bonnie and Clyde . Eso sí, como hago hace un tiempo, no leí la sinopsis, la he leído ahora, antes de poner mi opinión. Y qué os puedo decir, pues que ha sido una sorpresa maravillosa, con un ritmo trepidante, acción por un tubo y violencia al por mayor pero sin ser desagradable ha sido una historia buenísima. El protagonista es un canalla adorable. Aparte un plus que tiene es que siempre hay una canción en casi todas las escenas y se nombran unas cuantas novelas policíacas que ya he apuntado para investigarlas tranquilamente. Bueno, que mis reseñas son cortas y me estoy enrollando, solo os digo que la leáis.

[WortGestalt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ken Bruen mixt Elemente aus dem Hollywood-Schwarzweiß-Klassiker »Sunset Boulevard« mit dem Londoner »East-End-Boys-und-West-End-Girls«-Motiv und kreiert damit einen modernen, konsequenten Kriminalroman der harten Schule, der gerade zum Ende hin komplett überzeugen kann.

[Jevron McCrory · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book on the strength of the movie and it's movie cover. I liked the film (mostly for the acting), but I thought the ending sucked beyond belief. I was curious about the novel.

Let's clear this up straight away.

The movie with Colin Farrell and Kiera Knightley has almost NOTHING to do with this book.

Aside from a few elements and some choice dialogue, they are two TOTALLY different animals. If I was Ken Bruen, I'd be seriously offended someone bought the rights to my book and then CHANGED EVERYTHING!

The book is written in a hip, flip, fast, short handed style, tons of dialogue and barely any description at all and though I enjoyed it at first (like you enjoy an episode of Friends; light and not too taxing), by the time I got to halfway, with still no real insight into the bones of the story, and the second part called itself FINAL CURTAIN, I realised there would be NO depth to this book.

It's funny and violent but shallow. OH SO SHALLOW. Murders, beatings, sex, etc, are tossed away with a sentence, as if none of it has any consequence at all. If the author thinks so little of such events, why should we? (If that was the point of the book, the character's emotional standpoint, it wasn't fully delivered...)

The so called 'twist' was laughable. Trying not to ruin anything, the tough 'smart' hero may not have asked why his partner in crime was such a turn coat but maybe why his partner in crime was so eager to help him in the first place?

For the writer; if you're going to preach about South East London criminal principles, remember the basic one, you trust NO ONE till they have proven themselves trustworthy.

Oh and the second one? Try whacking a London East End gangland boss with NO comebacks WHATSOEVER. See what happens.....

I liked the style of this book at first but it's a loosely connected series of set pieces, witty one liners and explosive violence with no emotional pay off and very little intrigue.

A shame because I really wanted to like it.

[Sam Reaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ken Bruen has the gift of making it sound easy: all you do is sit down and channel these South London criminal types, breezing through a few days of their chaotic lives and recording the wreckage, and Bob's your uncle. The fluency and the concision are, of course, carefully crafted, and Bruen's poetic vocation shows. This is an inspired twist on Sunset Boulevard, with a just-released ex-con hired as handyman by a faded actress in a cavernous Holland Park mansion complete with shady butler. Nothing good ensues. Bleak and black and often very funny.

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thank my lucky stars for Ken Bruen. I was looking at a horrendous reading slump and had already trashed two books without finishing them when I picked up Bruen's London Boulevard. This book is essentially Sunset Boulevard, through a glass darkly. I really enjoyed Mitchell the literate thug's many bookish references to favorite authors past, such as Charles Willeford-essentially a tip of the hat from one crime writer to other crime writers. This book was dark high octane noir and a great read.

[Martyna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of alcohol and brutality. I reached for this book because it has been on my shelf for a long time. I bought it at a book sale. Now I understand why it went on it in first place.

The book is about everyday's life of the main character, Mitchell. The first 190 pages could be easily shortened to 15-20, without any damage to the plot. The simplicity of the message contained in this book is staggering. I wondered if the author's writing style was a bit different, a little more colorful, would I like this book more?

[John Gilmour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love me some Ken Bruen books. And by some I mean all of them. I have a few to go. This one is set in London. It hasn’t been the same since.

[Shmuel Gorelik · Rating 3 out of 5]

קראתי בעברית תוך יום בודד את הספר של קן ברואן "לונדון בולווארד" (230 עמודים). ספר מאוד קליל, לא מותח כלל, אבל מעניין כי הוא מאוד זורם עם הקריאה הקלה. יש הרבה גסויות מיותרות וקטעים שלי לא היו ברורים מבחינת ההקשרים כנראה קשורים לז'אנר מסוים במוזיקה.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It's About Absolute Devastation"

"Mitchell" is a hard guy. He is just out of prison after three years of payback for a brutal beating he doesn't remember. But best mate Billy Norton is waiting at the gate with a sweet setup for Mitch as the muscle for a loan shark. Though Mitchell's feeling are mixed. While the perqs that come with the leg breaking are good, he'd just as soon skip another stay at the gray bar hotel. When a job as a live-in handy man for aging actress Lillian Palmer falls into his lap, Mitchell takes a shot - if a somewhat tentative shot for the career criminal - at the straight and narrow.

From this backdrop, the prolific Ken Bruen literally rips out another savage crime novel with more grit than Jones Beach and Bruen's trademark black humor. Lillian Palmer, deliciously demented and coming complete with a sexual appetite that belies her years, provides a bizarre twist to what otherwise may have been a pedestrian and often-told story of betrayal and retribution. But the real brilliance in the author's twisted logic comes in the form of "Jordan", Palmer's mysterious butler who proves to be so much more. Bruen's staccato dialogue and disregard for small annoyances like punctuation or other literary convention add to the quirky appeal of Mitchell and the eclectic cast of thugs and wankers that follow him through the pages of this razor-edged page turner, which should keep you guessing right up to the bloody last sentence.

Adding to Mitch's (and Bruen's) sandpaper charm is an uncongruous and unabashed love of crime fiction and the authors that pen them, with references to Andrew Vachss, Dennis LeHane, and other masters of crime who are liberally quoted and add credibility and depth to an already addictive storyline.

If you haven't read Bruen yet - an unforgivable injustice that he remains relatively unknown, at least on this side of the Atlantic - then "London Boulevard" is a great place to start what you can expect to be a long, entertaining, and brutal acquaintance

[Mark]

If you've been thinking about trying out Ken Bruen, LONDON BOULEVARD is not a bad entry point. You're not committing to the Jack Taylor or Brant/Roberts series, and you'll be avoiding the broad parody of his "Max" collaborations with Jason Starr (that's the absolute WRONG place to start with either writer). LONDON BOULEVARD is a sort-of adaptation of SUNSET BOULEVARD displaced to (guess) London, and it's a well-written, fast-moving, and stylish neo-noir. I guess the only strike against it as a starting point for Bruen is that it's set in England not Ireland, but Bruen seems comfortable in both locales, and this book offers much of what you'll either really like or dislike about Bruen as a writer: quick, telegraphed prose with lots of white space on the page; melancholy interior monologues; wise-ass dialogue; lots of hip pop culture references; and a dark brooding Irish pessimism about life and human nature. This is not the best Bruen I've read (I am soon going to get back into the Taylor series), but is a solid and pleasing work of crime fiction and a real page-turner. (I have yet to see the film, but now I can.)

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread it in November 2019, to find the pleasure of reading again... and it effing worked!
I don’t know why I’m so affected by this book. It’s the kind of page-turner I don’t experience too often. Yes, yess and yesss!

Review from April 2011
Holy sh*t. (I just finished reading it, so excuse me....)

I loved it.
The language is not sophisticated, I love the writing style.
I was really in need of a book where the main character is tough, no kidding around.
The whole book is manly and rough and the ending surprised me very much. I thought I had it figured out but on the last couple of pages everything turned around. (I can still remember the moments I've finished this book, I remember where I was and how it made me feel. Powerful.)
I think I'm going to read this again, soon.

[Jonfaith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Bruen obviously knows his tradition. At one point in his reworking of Sunset Boulevard (hence the title, saucy!) James Ellroy makes an appearence, yeh, Ellroy himself appears just off stage. References are made in almost every chapter to some noir classic. Such a homage creates its own set of problems, namely that the narrative is crowded out by the hall of fame tour. Whie I was frustrated as hell during the first half of the novel detailing the protagonist's release from prison and his efforts to reorient himself in society, the second proved easier to swallow. Bruen does affect a style which often literarly cascades down the page. I can't say I hated such technique, I only wish there was more on display.

[Reem Al Kaabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

London Boulevard by Ken Bruen

It's a novel which talk about a man who released from prison, his name Harry Mitchell. He met his friend and they live together. After that they did a welcome party for Mitchell. In there way to party Mitchell met a women here name is Penny. She told him to help her friend Charlotte. In this point when Mitchell met Charlotte the problems are started. Many crimes happen and Mitchell's friend was killed. It was awesome book and I enjoy read it.


This book was amazing and I enjoy read it.It's a crime and romantic book . The only thing that i learn from that book is the vocabulary.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting and tough main character which is the only reason to read this. This book seems to be a gritty British version of Sunset Boulevard right down to the retired 50ish actress to her butler who'll do anything for her. The characters here really well thought out which makes the mystery kind of a drag. It seems like you can get away with whatever style plotting in a book that would never ever fly in a movie or TV episode. Still, very interesting main character and worth a look on that basis.

[Radosław Magiera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Po pierwszym spotkaniu z prozą Kena Bruena, którym była lektura powieści Strażnicy bezprawia (The Guards), z utęsknieniem wyczekiwałem na kolejną jego książkę. No i nastał ten dzień – zaprzyjaźniona biblioteka powiatowa w ramach akcji „Poleć książkę” zakupiła Londyński bulwar, który w ciemno zarekomendowałem, kierując się tylko nazwiskiem autora.

O ile centralną postacią Strażników jest były policjant, o tyle głównym bohaterem Bulwaru jest Mitchell, dla znajomków Mitch, który właśnie skończył odsiadkę i rozpoczyna drugie podejście do życia na wolności z mocnym przeświadczeniem, iż nigdy więcej za kraty nie wróci. Planuje zdobyć dobrą pracę i trzymać się z dala od kłopotów, ale wiadomo – nigdy nie mów nigdy. Dawne grzechy ciążą, a dawni kumple jeszcze bardziej. Co z tego wyniknie nie będę ujawniał. Zdradzę tylko, że choć powyższy schemat jest dość klasyczny, to fabule nie brak oryginalności, a zakończenie też nie jest sztampowe. Nie oryginalność intrygi jednak, ani mocna puenta, są największymi atutami Londyńskiego bulwaru. To styl prozy Bruena, porażający jak wyprowadzony z zaskoczenia cios w splot słoneczny, potwierdza zasadność nadanego mu tytułu króla twardego kryminału noir.

Wyobraźcie sobie, że będąc przejazdem w jakiejś odległej dziurze, gdzie wasza noga już nigdy nie postanie, kupiliście sobie od ulicznego handlarza szczeniaczka* jakiegoś mocnego alkoholu bez żadnej nalepki i marki. Przez dłuższy czas nie otwieraliście go nawet, w czym pewnie miała swój udział obawa przed utratą wzroku będącą częstą konsekwencją eksperymentów z podobnymi wyrobami niewiadomej proweniencji. W końcu nadchodzi, po latach, ten dzień, gdy macie doła i musicie się napić. Nie ma niczego lepszego pod ręką i w chwili rozpaczliwej odwagi otwieracie zakurzona flaszeczkę, nalewacie setę i chlup. Okazuje się, że to najlepszy trunek, jaki piliście w życiu. Czujecie to? W butelce zostało już tylko półtorej kielonka! Jeszcze rozkoszujecie się uczuciem, jakby pogłaskał was ognisty anioł, jeszcze została ponad połowa, a już czujecie niesamowity żal, że flaszka taka malutka, że tak szybko zbliża się koniec libacji, a druga podobnie smakowita butelka może się już nigdy nie trafić. Taka jest właśnie proza Bruena. Ja ją po prostu połykam i już od pierwszych stron, gdy zauważam jak błyskawicznie się go czyta, żałuję, że jego powieści nie są grubsze.

Mistrz oszczędnego słowa. Gdyby Bruen napisał Potop, pewnie zmieściłby się jednym niewypasionym tomie. Mimo tego jego proza jest niesamowicie wyrazista. W kilku zdaniach, pozbawionych wszelki zbędnych wyrazów, potrafi zawrzeć wszystko co potrzebne, by czytelnik przeniósł się w ciemne londyńskie uliczki lub do irlandzkiego pubu, by wszedł w ciało zdesperowanego zabójcy lub napalonego kochanka. Nie są mu potrzebne wielostronicowe opisy, wystarczą zdania zamiast akapitów, słowa zamiast zdań. Dodajmy do tego zawrotne tempo akcji i otrzymamy lekturę, której jedyną wadą jest to, że tak szybko się skończy.

Czytając recenzje zawodowych krytyków, z reguły powieścią równie zachwyconych jak ja, i amatorów, z reguły mniej zachwyconych, w pierwszej chwili byłem zdziwiony. Dopiero potem zrozumiałem. Dobry krytyk literacki powinien być albo otwarty na wszelkie możliwe style, gatunki i maniery literackie, i oceniać każde dzieło w ramach konwencji, w której zostało stworzone, albo być na tyle samoświadomym, by unikać obszarów, w których się źle czuje. Najgorszy grzech krytyka, to ocenianie czegoś, czego z samego założenia się nie lubi. Ile przykładowo warta recenzja powieści Lema napisana przez kogoś, kto uważa, że fantastyka jest drugim sortem literatury? A Bruen jest prawdziwym ewenementem; oszczędności słowa, pragmatycznej brutalności i esencji życia. Koneserem przemocy i jednocześnie pełnym humanizmu filozofem ukrytym między wierszami. Mrocznym jak mało kto, ale zarazem, w postaciach swych bohaterów, jak niewielu doceniającym życie takim, jakim jest – niezależnie od tego, jakie karty dał nam los. I nie każdy jest w stanie to perwersyjne wręcz połączenie strawić. Nie piszę tego przekonany o swojej wartości, ale świadom bezcennej wielkości tego niesamowitego autora. Musiałem uzasadnić te rozbieżności ocen, z którymi możecie się spotkać i mój osobisty pogląd na ich przyczynę.

Śmieszą mnie zawsze powieści, w których opis aktu eksplozji przemocy czy namiętności jest tak długi, iż jego przeczytanie trwa wielokroć dłużej, niż samo zdarzenie. To wybija z rytmu i odbiera autentyczność. Londyński Bulwar jest wizytówką stylu Kena Bruena. By zbudować mroczny nastrój, by oddać gwałtownie wzbierające uczucia, opisy zbrodni czy wrażeń literackich - wystarczą pojedyncze słowa. Wszystko potrafi przekazać z tą szokującą oszczędnością, a do tego zdoła bez łamania stylu przemycić wiele zdrowej filozofii i życiowej mądrości przydatnej nie tylko twardzielom i zabijakom, ale każdemu. Polecam tę powieść zdecydowanie i absolutnie. Nie tylko miłośnikom twardego kryminału noir. Polecam każdemu, choć mam bolesną świadomość, iż wielu będzie zniesmaczonych, podobnie jak po lampce Frapin Cuvee 1888 czy Remy Martin Louis XIII Black Pearl Limited Edition**. Wszystko jest kwestią smaku

recenzja pierwotnie opublikowana na blogu klub-aa.blogspot.com dokąd zapraszam na wymianę wrażeń z lektury i nie tylko

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark, violent, and funny with the author's trademark style and tons of crime fiction/authors references.

[Shannon Sullivan · Rating 1 out of 5]

A poodle tap dancing on a keyboard could write a better and more detailed book.

[DeeDee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Честно говоря, даже не поняла о чем эта книга. Нет, сюж��т прозрачен и все события логичны. Никакой мистики, никаких роялей. Но мораль? Ведь должна же я сделать какой-то вывод, прочитав книгу?
Митчел всегда имел склонность к жестокости, особенно в нетрезвом состоянии. И вот он выходит из тюрьмы, где он отсидел три года за нанесение тяжких телесный повреждений незнакомцу. И хотя он не может вспомнить эпизода драки, но всё же отказался от условно-досрочного освобождения, что показывает его истинное раскаяние. Бывший заключённый собирается начать новую жизнь, чтобы никогда не вернуться в ужас тюремных разборок.
Но, желание - это одно, а реальность - совсем другое. Старые друзья не забывают о нём, они ценят его качества и, после торжественной встречи, наперебой предлагают работу. Естественно, что не на благо законопослушных граждан Лондона. И Митч отказывается! Он ищет что-то, из-за чего не придется прятаться от закона. Пусть тяжело, но честно.
Удивило, как легко его нанимают ремонтировать дом некогда известной актрисы Лилиан Палмер. Бывшему зэку достаточно просто поговорить со случайно встреченной журналисткой? Правда?
Хотя эта именно эта работа и стала первопричиной всего, что случается в жизни Митча дальше. Вокруг него начинается какая-то крысинная возня. Сначала он не может отказать в помощи своим старым друзьям решить некоторые проблемы. Затем те помогают ему информацией и деньгами. И следом начинается планомерная охота на его соратников и на самых дорогих ему людей...
Казалось бы, что самое время начать рыдать над злым роком, нависшим над героем, но не хочется. Совсем нет желания оплакивать его долю. Кажется, что Митчел сам прикладывает максимум усилий, чтобы навредить себе. Есть и светлые моменты в этих событиях. Например, его отношение к Джои - бездомному продавцу журнала «Биг Ишью». Но этот момент как-то теряется в потоках алкоголя и крови.
Выходит, что у оступившегося человека нет шанса исправится? А ведь есть момент в истории, когда я даже поверила, что цель Митча близка. Всего один шаг и...
Книга полна жестокости, наркотиков, алкоголя и... надежды. В ней нет положительных героев. Этим она мне напомнила дргой детектив другого автора: "Волчицы" - Буало-Нарсежака.
Некоторые моменты повести были такие неприятные, что хотелось удалить файл из читалки. Но затягивает. И очень хочется узнать чем же всё это закончится и это перешивает всё. И странность оформления текста, и оригинальность авторского языка.
Скорее всего, мораль книги в том, что в жизни возможно всё. Не всё зависит от человека. Но выбор существует всегда. Просто, надо быть готовым не прозевать свой шанс и понимать, как личные действия могут повлиять на жизнь окружающих. И всегда помнить, что бесплатного сыра не бывает.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up because I'd read a couple of Bruen's "Inspector Brant" series and generally enjoyed them. This one's a standalone, and I didn't know until after finishing it that it was made into a film with some pretty big stars in the lead roles. I found that surprising, because it's kind of an odd mish-mash of ideas. It opens with a 40ish guy named Mitch getting released from prison after a three years inside for GBH while drunk. He's apparently a career London criminal with a penchant for enjoying violence just a touch too much. He's met by an old pal, and soon enough, back into the underworld, helping him collect on loans.

However, the story then makes a strange turn into retelling the classic film noir Sunset Boulevard. Mitch takes a job as a caretaker at the mansion of an aging West End star, where her mysterious East European butler runs the show. It's a really strange narrative choice, and I can't imagine what readers who haven't seen Sunset Boulevard would make of it. From there, the story has Mitch juggling this new job with being recruited by a London gangster, with subplots involving his unstable sister, and then a new girlfriend.

This all unfolds in very brisk, staccato prose that moves along quickly toward a dark ending. Of course Mitch is a reader, and so the book is studded with shout-outs to various American crime luminaries like James Crumley, Charles Willeford, George Pelecanos (misspelled, alas), and even a cameo by James Ellroy. Readers who recognize those names may find this a pulpy curiosity, but it's a little too mannered for me.

[Frank Kralovec]

Written in hard boiled, in your face sentences, this was a fascinating read, and much better than the movie. The characters are more complex, the story ends in a much more true-to-noir way, and its a more realistic story.

For those of you who appreciate the movie, pick up the book. You won't be disappointed. It is very different, ends very differently, and even causality in the book is much different. The movie was quite entertaining, but the ending of the book is much more ambiguous. Gant is not behind the evil, it is of course the butler, who Mitchell kills after discovering trophies in his room. The fading actress in her twilight years? Well, it doesn't say he kills her, but he is walking into her room to kill her when he realizes she had orchestrated everything so he would be with her.

Not a terribly difficult read, but a classic of modern noir fiction. It's easy to see why Bruen's stories get picked up for adaptation after adaptation. The use of his punchy sentences, leaves much to the imagination, and while the world is definitely a dark place, there is no real time spent on graphic visualizations of the world Mitchell operates in.

Good luck finding it, however. I had to order it from my bookstore in Seattle, and it was like 20 pound, for a very short paperback book.

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really fast to read story. A lot of dialogue so perhaps there wasn't so many words in the novel as one could presume based on the amount of pages :-) But this was fluent, and catching too, I admit that. All and all easy reading.

This reminded me of Mickey Spillane and his hero Mike Hammer. A guy who is so tough that most rocks would be envious. And morally at least a dubious character.

Tough and violent would be the words to describe the whole story. There are clear and obvious references to the famous Billy Wilder movie classic from nineteen fifties, "Sunset Boulevard", starring Gloria Grahame and William Holden.

It seems that this one has been filmed too, starring Colin Farrell and Keira Knightley. Haven't seen. Most likely (unlike the paragon) a see-and-forget type of action film. As this novel was read-and-forget. But not bad, well written and fluent, also funny in a morbid manner.

London Boulevard
Arktinen Banaani 2011

[M. O'Gannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

London Boulevard – A Novel – Published 2001 – * - Mitchell has just been released from a 3 year prison term. He is now on a drugs, alcohol, sex, killing, drugs and alcohol, sex and drinking, killing, theft, assault, lying, sex, alcohol, drugs, killing spree to celebrate. Also, there was more sex, drugs, alcohol. And killing. Did I mention killing? I have read one other book by Bruen, Head Stone, that was given a four star rating. Generally, I like action, but this was action just for the fun of writing about sex, drugs, drunkenness and killing. BORING. Picking up the book I thought it should be covered in slime to go with its insides. This is the LAST Bruen book for me. Needless to say, I don't recommend the book unless you like reading about sex, drugs, alcohol and killing to the exclusion of everything else.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

London Boulevard parte de una premisa fuerte: un hombre recién salido de prisión, que no recuerda haber cometido el crimen, intenta rehacer su vida. Si partes de esa sinopsis, el contenido del libro puede resultar decepcionante.

La trama se divide en escenas fragmentadas y personajes fugaces.
No es una novela para quien busque acción; más bien retrata la soledad y el desgaste emocional del protagonista.
Me dejó con la sensación de que la historia se podría haber contado en la mitad de páginas y puede ser frustrante si esperas giros claros. Para mí, la mezcla de todo eso ha sido su gran fallo.

[Chrissie Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know what I expected of this fictional accounting of Mitch as he was released from prison after three years behind bars but it was one totally wild ride...pure Bruen from start to finish...but the ending I gotta say just blew me away. It was crazy as usual and no one writes outside of the box like Ken Bruen did. He will be forever missed by me, mu hunger for more Jack Taylor will never be satisfied but I will keep reading as many of his books that I have not cracked open as I can. What a way to end the year that took him, the wonderful Ken Bruen from us. R I P always.

[Gabi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rovid mondatok, frappans, porgos parbeszedek: olyasmi erzesem volt, mintha nem is regenyt, hanem forgatokonyvet olvasnek. (Erdekes lesz majd a filmmel osszevetni.) Valahogy, talan pont azert, mert annyira gyorsan lehetett olvasni, es mert keves volt a korites, erzelmileg nem nyomott meg annyira.
Tetszettek a Sunset Blvd-os athallasok, mindazonaltal a Sunset szerintem joval veszjoslobb hangulatu tortenet, annak ellenere, hogy a London Blvd-ban joval tobb az eroszak.

[Nicole Aroca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since I watched the movie and liked it, I know that everyone hates it but it has excellent casting and a very good soundtrack. The book is totally different and that makes it more raw and not a romantic story of a beautiful actress and a criminal who wants to reform, here we have the raw and how in the end only the strongest remains. It is not a reading that I loved or enjoyed due to some factors such as the characters and the changes in the story.