- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Serpent's Tail (Sep 1 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1852428511
- ISBN-13: 978-1852428518
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 13 x 2.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 227 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #224,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
Royston Blake is the head doorman of Hoppers Wine Bar & Bistro. He drives a Capri 2.8i and can walk down the street in Mangel knowing folks respect him. But now there’s a rumor out that Blake’s lost his bottle. Even Sal’s heard the rumour. What’s more, the Muntons are after him and the thought of ending up in the back of their Meat Wagon is almost too much to bear . . . Murder, mayhem and a chainsaw called Susan intertwine in this astonishing debut which marks the appearance of a funny and brutal new voice in British crime fiction.
About the Author
Charlie Williams wrote the books Deadfolk, Fags and Lager and King of the Road, all of which feature the character Royston Blake. A short film he wrote, ARK, was screened at the Cannes Film Festival and Opalciné at le Touqet in 2009. He lives in the UK with his wife, kids and dogs.
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First Sentence
I were standing on the grass out by the East Bloater Road when the Meat Wagon came past. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
I were standing on the grass out by the East Bloater Road when the Meat Wagon came past. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.5 out of 5 stars (33 customer reviews)
33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Warped, Menacing, Hilarious, Sep 28 2004
By Doug F - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Deadfolk (Paperback)
Deadfolk stars Royston Blake -- a guy you would not enjoy bumping into down a dark alley but you will love on the page. He is a pub doorman with troubles, and his attempts at getting past them lead to one crime after another. All he wants is to be a respected pillar of the community. He has the physical stature but lacks self-awareness, and winds up getting and giving nothing but grief.
The book is populated with characters that you can almost smell -- even before they wind up dead and rotting. The setting -- the town of "Mangel" -- is English backwater by way of the Twilight Zone, and the ripe language reflects that. But really it's not that far removed from midwest or Tex vernacular. There were some words I just did not know but I kind of rode the context -- you're not going to miss any big plot points over them. Also the local argot gets you more involved in the surroundings. When you look at this place you can see how someone like Royston Blake can happen. You kind of feel for him.
I recommend Deadfolk to anyone who favors originality, knows how to laugh, and doesn't baulk at some nastiness. This is a book that reads well and is SO different from the usual fare. Royston Blake is a real piece of work.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
give us a fag and neck a lager, Mar 31 2011
By xkydivr - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Deadfolk (Paperback)
Pre-release customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program
The dialect is so thick in this book that I thought at first maybe it hadn't been translated into English. If you stick with it you will be able to interpret the words according to content.
Blake is a doorman/bouncer for a local pub. When he doesn't stand up to one of the Munster brothers the rumor spreads that he has lost his bottle/courage. When he sets out to restore his reputation everything starts going downhill. Murders, disappearing bodies, betrayal by his mates. Had to laugh at the attempts at disguise and his weird code of ethics...never hit a bird(woman).
If you laughed at the wood-chipper scene in the movie "Fargo" you will find this book hilarious. This is not your usual thriller/mystery but good for a change of pace.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Your 'English Cosy' Mystery..., Mar 31 2011
By James Ellsworth - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Deadfolk (Paperback)
Pre-release customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program
...or even a raffish 'Lovejoy.' Charlie Williams is a major writing talent poised to make an American debut with this novel from his 'Mangel' quartet (if that is the last in the series.) This series has attracted European attention and translation (heaven knows how the translation works since the narrative relies on English slang words.) 'R' or 'X-rated' for violence, sadism, sex and language, 'Deadfolk' is nevertheless a compulsive read and an incisive look into a world of dysfunctional masculinity, where strength, survivalist self-reliance, macho image and sexual gratification count for far too much. No normal person would want to live anywhere near the series' antihero, Royston Blake. Granted, Blake does not have an easy set of circumstances to deal with: he may be psychotic and a sociopath, he only has brute force with which to make his way in the world and he was born into a dark environment of such gravitational force that few could escape from it...and he has tried.
The entire work is narrated in a low-class industrial English slang that is heavy with synonyms for sex equipment and for sexual stereotypes for men who 'have lost it.' Royston Blake has 'lost his bottle' (courage) in this work and his lot in life is to fight to get it back. The major mystery of the book is what/who really killed his wife, Beth, and the events dance back and forth to answer that question with a murky sort of reality that pervades the whole story. Many Williams fans see dark humor in many of the scenes: I can almost see it but my vision is not strong that way and I am more apt to see the tragic side of these scenes. Dare I say that this work is a 'beach read?' It is a page-turner that I would not want to undertake just prior to bed time.
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