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ianayris's review
5.0
Ray Banks is, without doubt, one of the Godfathers of Brit Grit, so when those fine chaps at Blasted Heath offered me the opportunity of taking a look at his Banks' new novel, I dropped pretty much everything.
INSIDE STRAIGHT is written in the same informal, paired down, humorous style that has made Banks so well respected in crime/noir circles. A sequel of sorts to Banks' DEAD MONEY. One of the pivotal scenes in DEAD MONEY involves a vicious beating in a casino. INSIDE STRAIGHT is narrated by the Pit Manager on the night - Graham Ellis.
A Pit Manager is a sort of Head Supervisor, an example of the casino jargon littered throughout the book. Banks once worked as a croupier himself, only adding to the authenticity of the book.
The book is narrated in the first person by Graham Ellis. Graham is a fastidious, cautious, dedicated employee, not a character easy to warm to, but one difficult not to have sympathy with. After the fracas in the casino, described in DEAD MONEY, Graham has been transferred to a less salubrious gambling establishment in a somewhat dodgy part of Manchester.
And he's not happy.
Graham's relationship with his manager is just one of a number of relationships in which he figures in a subservient role. In all well-written books, the main character makes a journey of some sort.
Graham's journey, it seems, is to challenge this subservient role, to move from a boy to a man, to stand up to the dominant figures in his life.
Standing up to his manager is one thing, but when local gangster - Barry Pollard - approaches Graham to be his inside man for a planned robbery on the casino, Graham is in all sorts of strife. You see, Graham has a certain pride in his work. He loves his job. Not perhaps the place he is working in so much, but he has the pride of a job well done.
Caught between his conscience and a psychotic gangster, Graham's vulnerability is brilliantly explored by Banks. It left me wondering what I might do in Graham's position. And to be honest, I've no idea what I would do.
Men like Barry Pollard require answers - and there is only ever one.
There are twists and turns aplenty in INSIDE STRAIGHT. I was constantly attempting to second guess what Graham might do, and what the consequences might be. And I was constantly wrong.
INSIDE STRAIGHT is a brilliant addition to the Ray Banks pantheon, and I suspect any fan of the crime/noir genre will agree.
Highly recommended.
INSIDE STRAIGHT is written in the same informal, paired down, humorous style that has made Banks so well respected in crime/noir circles. A sequel of sorts to Banks' DEAD MONEY. One of the pivotal scenes in DEAD MONEY involves a vicious beating in a casino. INSIDE STRAIGHT is narrated by the Pit Manager on the night - Graham Ellis.
A Pit Manager is a sort of Head Supervisor, an example of the casino jargon littered throughout the book. Banks once worked as a croupier himself, only adding to the authenticity of the book.
The book is narrated in the first person by Graham Ellis. Graham is a fastidious, cautious, dedicated employee, not a character easy to warm to, but one difficult not to have sympathy with. After the fracas in the casino, described in DEAD MONEY, Graham has been transferred to a less salubrious gambling establishment in a somewhat dodgy part of Manchester.
And he's not happy.
Graham's relationship with his manager is just one of a number of relationships in which he figures in a subservient role. In all well-written books, the main character makes a journey of some sort.
Graham's journey, it seems, is to challenge this subservient role, to move from a boy to a man, to stand up to the dominant figures in his life.
Standing up to his manager is one thing, but when local gangster - Barry Pollard - approaches Graham to be his inside man for a planned robbery on the casino, Graham is in all sorts of strife. You see, Graham has a certain pride in his work. He loves his job. Not perhaps the place he is working in so much, but he has the pride of a job well done.
Caught between his conscience and a psychotic gangster, Graham's vulnerability is brilliantly explored by Banks. It left me wondering what I might do in Graham's position. And to be honest, I've no idea what I would do.
Men like Barry Pollard require answers - and there is only ever one.
There are twists and turns aplenty in INSIDE STRAIGHT. I was constantly attempting to second guess what Graham might do, and what the consequences might be. And I was constantly wrong.
INSIDE STRAIGHT is a brilliant addition to the Ray Banks pantheon, and I suspect any fan of the crime/noir genre will agree.
Highly recommended.
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