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hieronymusbotched's review against another edition
4.0
+ 1 for an unnamed narrator
+ 1 for an unwaveringly grim sense of place
+ 1 for writing so gritty you‘ll find sand in your teeth a week later
+ 1 for improving on the first, particularly the ending
+ 1 for not blinking
- 1 for the political plot points that take away from the street level fun
= 4
+ 1 for an unwaveringly grim sense of place
+ 1 for writing so gritty you‘ll find sand in your teeth a week later
+ 1 for improving on the first, particularly the ending
+ 1 for not blinking
- 1 for the political plot points that take away from the street level fun
= 4
jakewritesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Although I’m not a big fan of the way Derek Raymond writes villains (I think he projects too much sentiment on their characters and leaves little room for pathos), I enjoyed this one almost as much as He Died With His Eyes Open. Raymond gets deep into the depressing environment of Thatcher’s London and comes back with a vivid portrait of what bad circumstances do to human behavior.
piccoline's review against another edition
5.0
This one's even stronger than the first Factory novel. The voice of the unnamed narrator becomes imbedded in your head, and his devotion to solving the murders of even those no one else cares about contains some subtle societal critique. Awesome stuff. On to the next one!
scotchneat's review against another edition
4.0
Derek Raymond's Factory Series was a series of mysteries in the 80's and 90's focused on an un-named lifer investigator in a special division focused on cold cases or the ones that aren't good enough for the big cops.
The narrator is, in some ways, just as creepy and potentially sociopathic as the people who goes after.
In this one, a man is killed, boiled, chopped up and placed in carrier bags in an old warehouse. The story of what happened links to a robbery and a series of snitches in the underworld, as well as an ex-soldier who has been a cold killer before.
Raymond himself used to be a part of that underworld and was associated with some pretty scary stuff in England and abroad before he turned a new leaf and started writing. He's also done a whole load of quirky, labour jobs, which helps to make his characters more gritty and real.
Many cite Raymond as an influence on the many dark cop/psychological thrillers that have come after.
The narrator is, in some ways, just as creepy and potentially sociopathic as the people who goes after.
In this one, a man is killed, boiled, chopped up and placed in carrier bags in an old warehouse. The story of what happened links to a robbery and a series of snitches in the underworld, as well as an ex-soldier who has been a cold killer before.
Raymond himself used to be a part of that underworld and was associated with some pretty scary stuff in England and abroad before he turned a new leaf and started writing. He's also done a whole load of quirky, labour jobs, which helps to make his characters more gritty and real.
Many cite Raymond as an influence on the many dark cop/psychological thrillers that have come after.
janhicks's review against another edition
3.0
Not as good as He Died With His Eyes Open. The middle section got a bit bogged down in nothing much happening and flabby exposition, but it was book ended by pace and wit and better than a lot of current fiction. The thing I've liked about both the Factory books I've read so far is Raymond's commitment to the ambiguous ending. There's no neatening up, no tying off of strands, things are left open, the reader who searches for neatness left unsatisfied. Just like in life. The Devil's Home On Leave is a grim tale of industrial espionage in 1980s Britain, against the backdrop of the terrors in Northern Ireland, with a psychopath at the centre pitting his arrogance against the unnamed police sergeant 'hero' of these novels. The sergeant is as phlegmatic as ever. We learn more detail about his personal circumstances, which compare with those of the criminals in the tale, and are free to speculate on why some choose the side of the law, while others go against it.
alanfederman's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second of the Derek Raymond Factory Series which features an unnamed Detective solving the cases no one wants or really cares about. The writing is dark, bleak, and drips with a sense of dread throughout. In many ways the quality of the writing makes up for a somewhat thin plot in this one. Even so, among some of the best noir writing....ever.
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