Payback

by Russell James

Floyd Carter returns to London for the funeral of his brother. Was Albie's death an accident or did somebody kill him? Discovering the truth isn't easy. A gang leader demands Floyd cough up the ten grand he claims Albie owed; another wants Floyd to join his network of drug pushers. Only Floyd's childhood friend, Suzie, provides a haven. Even then, her daughter is developing some dangerous habits. Plunged into a world of drugs and violence, Floyd grapples with the facts surrounding Albie's death as bodies start to pile up. Black humor underpins the action of this fast-moving, hard-hitting thriller. Russell James "writes a muscular, undecorated prose" (Sunday Times) which perfectly captures London's criminal underworld. A typically tough and thoroughly compelling read from the author of ten novels, including Slaughter Music and No One Gets Hurt. "A first-class story of London gangland, told with a considerable amount of panache" Philip Kerr

Genres: Noir, Mystery

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

A British author of some 2 dozen books, half of which are crime novels, Russell is an ex-chairman of the Crime Writers Association. He has written several non-fiction works and half a dozen historical novels. He is currently working on the third book in his Croome Victorian saga, the first of which is AFTER SHE DROWNED, telling of forbidden love in the Victorian Church, and the second THE CAPTAIN'S WARD, telling of a young girl's coming of age in Victorian Britain.