The Craze

by Paul Southern

James Ellroy meets Irvine Welsh in a brilliant debut novel of crime, drugs and urban violence.

C was for cars which he’d nicked and crashed,
R was for robbery, armed and fast.
A was for arson, fire and theft,
Z was for the cuts his switchblade left,
E was for drugs, the Whizz and Horse.

Which just left murder, the hardest, of course.

She was found on the burned up, tongue cut out, a finger removed. Who was she? 24 hours before, Shazia Ahmed was leaving Manchester, but a chance meeting and a phone call and she found herself in the underworld where life is cheap and usually very short.

Jamie Farrell already knows that the drugs and crime will tip over into murder. His father is in Strangeways prison, and he’ll be joining him. But he can’t give up the deadly game that is the Craze.

Dru Round thought his big day had no more cheap drag acts and furtive sex in the backs of cars. A new dawn of TV fame beckoned. But he just needed that extra score to make things work for him… Three lives, one crime — the Craze.

Genres: Crime

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Following an induced labour some time in the 1960s (due date: Halloween night), I had my subscription to a normal life revoked by itinerant parents, who moved from city to city. Lived in Liverpool, Belfast, London and Leeds, then escaped to university, where I nearly died of a brain haemorrhage. After an unexpected recovery, formed an underground indie group (Sexus). Met the lead singer through standing on a bee. Made immediate plans to become rich and famous, but ended up in Manchester. Shared a house with mice, cockroaches, and slugs; shared the street with criminals. Five years later, hit the big time with a Warners record deal. Concerts at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Melody Maker front cover, Smash Hits Single of the Week, Radio 1 and EastEnders. Mixed with the really rich and famous. Then mixed with lawyers. Ended up back in Manchester, broke. Got a PhD in English (I am the world's leading authority on Tennyson's stage plays), then wrote my first novel, The Craze, based on my experiences of the Muslim community. Immediately nominated to the Arena X Club (the name Arena magazine gave to a select group of creative, UK-based men responsible for shaping the way their readers lived and enjoyed their lives). Wrote a second novel, Brown Boys in Chocolate, which predicted the London bombings. Fell foul of the censors and subsequently gagged by the press. Got ITV interested in a story on honour killings and inter-racial marriages and was commissioned to write a screenplay (Pariah) based on my life story. ITV balked at the content. Subsequently, trod the Wasteland before finding the grail again: a book deal with children's publisher, Chicken House. Killing Sound, a YA horror set on the London Underground, was published by them in 2014. The book, originally written for older teens (16+) and adults, was edited by the publishers to fit a much younger demographic, and inevitably failed to reach either market; the grail proved elusive and I returned to writing something it was impossible to dilute. Daddy Dearest, a dark, psychological thriller, was released in 2016. A new novel, Pendle Fire, will be published by Bloodhound Books in Spring, 2018.

Reviews

[Liis · Rating 5 out of 5]

If ever there was a thrilling crime filled fast paced book one had to read, this would be it. Edge of the seat stuff, this is.

Manchester, scum of the earth characters, racism, family honors, death and drugs... Did Paul Southern succeed in showing us the (a possible, real or unreal) underbelly of Manchester? Boy, did he! Want to know the recipe?

Ingredients:

couple of small minded council estate bred criminals,
a Muslim family,
ambitious yet this far unsuccessful gay TV presenter
The Queen... not the real one, or the Drama one, but a Drag one.
A regular white guy who is quite not yet man enough

Mix all together, sprinkle with drugs, add some heavy breathing for sound effects and rub it in the stink of fear. Result? Caboom!

Mind you, none of this would have come together if it wasn't for Paul's masterful, I could even say lyrical, writing style. Such ugly things presented to the reader in such pretty ways! It's not tragedy nor sacrilege- it's skill!

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

SETTING: Manchester, UK
RATING: 3.5
WHY: In this book, the city of Manchester is portrayed as a terrible place, where criminal activity and violence are the norm. There are 3 protagonists. Jamie Farrell has been on a downward path since birth. The drugs, the arson, the robberies—all seem to be leading to “The Craze”, with murder being the inexorable end. Shazia Ahmed is trying to escape the religious strictures of her family and is planning a life with a white man. Her family doesn’t take well to that. And Dru Rounds is a gay man who is one step away from becoming a TV celebrity. It’s a dark world for all. Don’t expect too many happy endings.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was ok, not really my cup of tea but the writing style was good although the 3 different stories that end up intertwining didn't interest me much and seemed daft in places.
It reminded me of trainspotting but against a Manchester background focusing on racial themes, crime and drugs.

[Rashad Raoufi]

its an overdramatised crime thriller set in and about central manchester, focusing on asian community to a certain extent, the author has considerbale talent and skill but it lacks focus, depth and any essence. characters are cartoonish and the author focuses more on creating drama out of cultural phenomenons such as forced marraiges,drug dealing rather than any original or deep anlysis into crime in manchester. its still an enjoybale read and a brave attempt.