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An Eye For An Eye #2
The Runner
Davey Hoy's money has gone missing. Jackson Stobbart thinks he knows where Cathy has run with it and he follows her north-east to their seaside home town. He's hoping to get it back before anyone notices it's gone. Unfortunately for him, Cathy has run to her ex-boyfriend to hide-out, and Jackson's never been much of a fighter. However, if Jackson has to go through the ex-boyfriend to get it, well, he'd rather do that than tell Davey the truth.
Meanwhile, back in Newcastle, Davey has problems of his own. Desperate to prove himself to Michael Doyle, a man he despises, Davey has to try and keep his cool while dealing with people he knows to be lesser than himself. And that's before he finds out that someone has done a runner with the money he's been stealing from Doyle.
Meanwhile, back in Newcastle, Davey has problems of his own. Desperate to prove himself to Michael Doyle, a man he despises, Davey has to try and keep his cool while dealing with people he knows to be lesser than himself. And that's before he finds out that someone has done a runner with the money he's been stealing from Doyle.
157 pages, Paperback
Published August 31, 2018
18 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 1, 2018
Cathy has done a runner with a big bag of cash. Her boyfriend, Jackson, was holding it for a local heavy fella… who in turn is feeling the heat from the heavy mob above him on the food chain. As soon as anyone gets a sniff of the situation then they want in on the action – cue the kind of lying, cheating, thieving and beatings which add up to a truly satisfying slice of gritty Britcrime.
This story hits the ground running and pounds along at a punishing pace; author Paul Heatley doesn’t waste time on endless exposition and the life story of every two-bit bystander. We get to know the main players by sharing their internal monologues – and by seeing them through each other’s eyes. So The Runner is stuffed with smart, snarky observations as the characters compete to get the girl, grab the stash, sidestep a thrashing… or maybe deliver one.
Like all the best heist movies, The Runner delivers twists and tension aplenty as the memorable cast of misfits and losers attempt to get their mitts on the money. Heatley lets his characters speak with an authentic regional accent and throws in some local slang – but it doesn’t feel artificial or forced, just adds to the sense of place.
Although the story romps along satisfactorily, The Runner suffers slightly because few of the central characters are particularly sympathetic. I didn’t care much what came of Cathy or Jackson – in fact, their bullying, bodybuilding nemesis was a far more interesting person.
This is a pretty rapid read, an afternoon’s entertainment. It’s part of a series but I hadn’t read any of the author’s earlier crime fiction and had no trouble picking up the threads. So feel free to grab it as a standalone.
8/10
There's a longer version of this review (and many more cracking crime/thrillers) over at http://www.murdermayhemandmore.net
This story hits the ground running and pounds along at a punishing pace; author Paul Heatley doesn’t waste time on endless exposition and the life story of every two-bit bystander. We get to know the main players by sharing their internal monologues – and by seeing them through each other’s eyes. So The Runner is stuffed with smart, snarky observations as the characters compete to get the girl, grab the stash, sidestep a thrashing… or maybe deliver one.
Like all the best heist movies, The Runner delivers twists and tension aplenty as the memorable cast of misfits and losers attempt to get their mitts on the money. Heatley lets his characters speak with an authentic regional accent and throws in some local slang – but it doesn’t feel artificial or forced, just adds to the sense of place.
Although the story romps along satisfactorily, The Runner suffers slightly because few of the central characters are particularly sympathetic. I didn’t care much what came of Cathy or Jackson – in fact, their bullying, bodybuilding nemesis was a far more interesting person.
This is a pretty rapid read, an afternoon’s entertainment. It’s part of a series but I hadn’t read any of the author’s earlier crime fiction and had no trouble picking up the threads. So feel free to grab it as a standalone.
8/10
There's a longer version of this review (and many more cracking crime/thrillers) over at http://www.murdermayhemandmore.net
September 6, 2018
“Your brother-in-law obviously sees there’s a lucrative market in stoners over here.”
British noir author Paul Heatley lives in the north east of England. His fiction is dark and bleak, populated with misfits and losers on a hellbound descent, often eschewing genre and geography to create a nightmarish vision of a harsh and uncaring world - The Motel Whore, The Vampire, and The Boy. Paul’s short stories have appeared in Thuglit, Horror Sleaze Trash, Spelk, Near to the Knuckle, Shotgun Honey, the Pink Factory, and the Flash Fiction Offensive, among others. He also contributes music reviews to R2 magazine. AN EYE FOR AN EYE was Book 1 and THE RUNNER is Book 2 of an ongoing trilogy.
The setting is Newcastle - the seamier parts – and the characters Paul has created are introduced like a lineup at the station. ‘Jackson Stobbart tried to remember how much he’d had to drink. They hadn’t been out long. A couple of hours, tops. He couldn’t make it out the time on his watch. His vision blurred. He was in the bathroom of the nightclub, wrapped around a toilet bowl and trying not to throw up. His legs had failed him. He’d fallen through the door, his feet kicking out under him like he was slipping on ice. He’d careened into the nearest stall, shoved aside the other patrons who, rather than protest, got out of his way, alarmed both by his hurry and his lack of colour. Three drinks? He could count them on one hand, he was sure. Maybe four. It could’ve been five. Still, that wasn’t enough to make him feel the way he did. His stomach was knotted like it was ready to bring up everything it held, but all he really wanted was sleep. It didn’t matter he was on a wet bathroom floor and outside of the stall he could hear other men hurrying him, trying to get in. Beyond all that, he could hear the dull repetitive beats of the music. He just wanted to sleep. Then the door was open, strong arms wrapped themselves around him, under his armpits and pulled him to his
feet. Jackson tried to get loose, tried to swear at them, whoever they were, but all the strength was gone from his limbs, he couldn’t be sure his words made any sense. Then the sensation of being dragged along, an arm around his waist, his own arm slung over the shoulders of someone taller than him. Taller, but slight. A woman, maybe. Cathy? Dragged, still. Dragged out of the bathroom, the music suddenly louder, deafeningly so, then outside, into cold night air that almost slapped his vision straight, but not quite. Then they stopped, leaned against a wall. Jackson tried to get his bearings. The streetlights nearby strobed, streaked across his vision. He had to wince away from them, pained. Everything hurt. “You look like you’re gonna be sick, Jackson.” Cathy. Definitely Cathy. It was her voice. “Mind me shoes.” Her heels. That was why she was taller than him. Generally, when she was in flats, they were the same height. “D’you think you can walk?” Jackson said something. He wasn’t sure what it was. “I’ll get us a taxi, eh?” He thought he managed an ‘Aye’. Maybe he fell asleep, but the next thing he knew he was in the back of a taxi. He gave a start, thinking Cathy gone – but she was there, beside him. She held his hand, squeezed it. He didn’t remember getting home.’
Scene set for one character and the plot brings back the others in the series –‘ Davey Hoy's money has gone missing. Jackson Stobbart thinks he knows where Cathy has run with it and he follows her north-east to their seaside home town. He's hoping to get it back before anyone notices it's gone. Unfortunately for him, Cathy has run to her ex-boyfriend to hide-out, and Jackson's never been much of a fighter. However, if Jackson has to go through the ex-boyfriend to get it, well, he'd rather do that than tell Davey the truth. Meanwhile, back in Newcastle, Davey has problems of his own. Desperate to prove himself to Michael Doyle, a man he despises, Davey has to try and keep his cool while dealing with people he knows to be lesser than himself. And that's before he finds out that someone has done a runner with the money he's been stealing from Doyle.’
But the gore and superlative sculpting of a crime novel must be read in its entirety to appreciate the gifts of Paul Heatley. He has this genre down pat and few others can top his style. Step into the dark and enjoy the fun.
British noir author Paul Heatley lives in the north east of England. His fiction is dark and bleak, populated with misfits and losers on a hellbound descent, often eschewing genre and geography to create a nightmarish vision of a harsh and uncaring world - The Motel Whore, The Vampire, and The Boy. Paul’s short stories have appeared in Thuglit, Horror Sleaze Trash, Spelk, Near to the Knuckle, Shotgun Honey, the Pink Factory, and the Flash Fiction Offensive, among others. He also contributes music reviews to R2 magazine. AN EYE FOR AN EYE was Book 1 and THE RUNNER is Book 2 of an ongoing trilogy.
The setting is Newcastle - the seamier parts – and the characters Paul has created are introduced like a lineup at the station. ‘Jackson Stobbart tried to remember how much he’d had to drink. They hadn’t been out long. A couple of hours, tops. He couldn’t make it out the time on his watch. His vision blurred. He was in the bathroom of the nightclub, wrapped around a toilet bowl and trying not to throw up. His legs had failed him. He’d fallen through the door, his feet kicking out under him like he was slipping on ice. He’d careened into the nearest stall, shoved aside the other patrons who, rather than protest, got out of his way, alarmed both by his hurry and his lack of colour. Three drinks? He could count them on one hand, he was sure. Maybe four. It could’ve been five. Still, that wasn’t enough to make him feel the way he did. His stomach was knotted like it was ready to bring up everything it held, but all he really wanted was sleep. It didn’t matter he was on a wet bathroom floor and outside of the stall he could hear other men hurrying him, trying to get in. Beyond all that, he could hear the dull repetitive beats of the music. He just wanted to sleep. Then the door was open, strong arms wrapped themselves around him, under his armpits and pulled him to his
feet. Jackson tried to get loose, tried to swear at them, whoever they were, but all the strength was gone from his limbs, he couldn’t be sure his words made any sense. Then the sensation of being dragged along, an arm around his waist, his own arm slung over the shoulders of someone taller than him. Taller, but slight. A woman, maybe. Cathy? Dragged, still. Dragged out of the bathroom, the music suddenly louder, deafeningly so, then outside, into cold night air that almost slapped his vision straight, but not quite. Then they stopped, leaned against a wall. Jackson tried to get his bearings. The streetlights nearby strobed, streaked across his vision. He had to wince away from them, pained. Everything hurt. “You look like you’re gonna be sick, Jackson.” Cathy. Definitely Cathy. It was her voice. “Mind me shoes.” Her heels. That was why she was taller than him. Generally, when she was in flats, they were the same height. “D’you think you can walk?” Jackson said something. He wasn’t sure what it was. “I’ll get us a taxi, eh?” He thought he managed an ‘Aye’. Maybe he fell asleep, but the next thing he knew he was in the back of a taxi. He gave a start, thinking Cathy gone – but she was there, beside him. She held his hand, squeezed it. He didn’t remember getting home.’
Scene set for one character and the plot brings back the others in the series –‘ Davey Hoy's money has gone missing. Jackson Stobbart thinks he knows where Cathy has run with it and he follows her north-east to their seaside home town. He's hoping to get it back before anyone notices it's gone. Unfortunately for him, Cathy has run to her ex-boyfriend to hide-out, and Jackson's never been much of a fighter. However, if Jackson has to go through the ex-boyfriend to get it, well, he'd rather do that than tell Davey the truth. Meanwhile, back in Newcastle, Davey has problems of his own. Desperate to prove himself to Michael Doyle, a man he despises, Davey has to try and keep his cool while dealing with people he knows to be lesser than himself. And that's before he finds out that someone has done a runner with the money he's been stealing from Doyle.’
But the gore and superlative sculpting of a crime novel must be read in its entirety to appreciate the gifts of Paul Heatley. He has this genre down pat and few others can top his style. Step into the dark and enjoy the fun.
October 2, 2018
perfect book !
sparse and witty dialogue, fast paced, suspenseful.
with a tough heroine, an arrogant antagonist
and no drawn out ending.
sparse and witty dialogue, fast paced, suspenseful.
with a tough heroine, an arrogant antagonist
and no drawn out ending.
May 6, 2019
Cathy steals a bag of cash from her abusive boyfriend Jackson Stobbart. But he’s only holding the cash for local criminal psycho Davey Hoy. With Cathy leaving Newcastle on the run she’s soon hounded by Jackson, Davey and assorted henchmen all desperate for the money back and a bit of violent retribution. Author Paul Heatley delivers another gritty hard-hitting novel where the female protagonist is just as smart and tough as her male counterparts. The novel also includes short story The Straightener as an added bonus. Although The Runner is book two in the An Eye for an Eye series it’s not necessary to have read book one first even though I would highly recommend both novels to any curious crime fiction fan. As a footnote I read this book while on holiday in the fishing village of Amble where much of the narrative takes place, to see first-hand some of the locations in the story gave the novel an even greater depth and impact.
July 6, 2019
Good
I didn't care for this one as much as Eye For An Eye. It's a little slower and not as much happens with a lot of inconsequential dialogue. There's a few characters here and I had a hard time keeping up with who was who. Everybody talks the same and acts the same and it was hard to
pick out individuals until closer to the end. Heatley isn't the most descriptive author, but the pacing is fast and the action is explosive and violent. I'll read more from him, but this one fell a little short for me.
I didn't care for this one as much as Eye For An Eye. It's a little slower and not as much happens with a lot of inconsequential dialogue. There's a few characters here and I had a hard time keeping up with who was who. Everybody talks the same and acts the same and it was hard to
pick out individuals until closer to the end. Heatley isn't the most descriptive author, but the pacing is fast and the action is explosive and violent. I'll read more from him, but this one fell a little short for me.
November 7, 2018
Another worthy entry in Paul Heatley's series about crime off the beaten path in England. He brings his location to life in a very vivid way, and I like the way the story ties into the others featuring a number of the same characters. I didn't think it was quite as fully realized or had as much impact as "An Eye for an Eye" or "Violent by Design" -- but it's still a strong, well-paced outing.
August 11, 2019
Great improvement
Enjoyed the first book in this series, but the writing has improved with this one. Again quick paced and full of action, read it in one go.
Not a follow on as such, as this story came before the first book, so left a little confused. However, downloaded next book with enthusiasm.
A good quick read, I look forward to more.
Enjoyed the first book in this series, but the writing has improved with this one. Again quick paced and full of action, read it in one go.
Not a follow on as such, as this story came before the first book, so left a little confused. However, downloaded next book with enthusiasm.
A good quick read, I look forward to more.
May 27, 2019
This is fast paced and spare, nicely tight lines. It gets to the point quick and keeps things moving. Well done and engaging.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews