A review by janhicks
The Devil's Home On Leave by Derek Raymond

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.