Nineteen Seventy Four (Paperback)

Well, to rid ourselves of the similarities. Peace, like Ellroy, writes fiction that does not baulk form dealing with the dark side of huamnity. His writing has a direct quality, that deals with brutal themes. The fiction, like Ellroy, is set in a real place (and - in his later work - draws on real events).

But, enough of the comparisons. Ellroy is a consummate stylist, his work finely honed over many years. This is Peace's first novel. We must not expect the same level as Ellroy.

However, this is very promising. It is a first person narrative, from Eddie, a journalist, whose father has recently died, and who gets caught up in a series of vicious child murders (some of the most disturbing imagery I have read is in the graphic descriptions of the crime scenes and forensic reports), local government corruption, blackmail, and corrupt racist police officers. On top of this Eddie has work problems, playing second fiddle to Jack Whitehead, the crime reporter of the year, and working with an editor, Hadden, that bows to Jack's greater ability.

This is a brutish view of the mid seventies, an unflinching look at a community that produced one of the UK's most notorious serial killers.

The first person narrative is generally well done, a startling stream of consciousness that product places, drops lines from songs, and has enough stylistic quirks to satisfy those that will write dissertations and theses of Peace's work in years to come. Sometimes it is too forced (it seems unnecessary to pepper pages with half remembered song lines and sadly remembered TV advertisements), and the violence of the imagery is disturbing. The characterisation is very strong, particularly Eddie, Hadden, Whitehead, and the one sympathetic police officer, Fraser (the latter three reappearing in Peace's Nineteen Seventy Seven). Plotting is handled well, and the novel is read quickly.

The novel is particularly strong on police brutality and corruption (another echo of Ellroy?). And in this regard the denouement is very powerful (although somewhat over the top).

This is an impressive debut, by no means perfect, but indicative of the promise Peace has started to fulfil in the later books in his quartet. It is not James Ellroy, Peace has his own unique voice. But this is heavily stylised noir-ish prose. Peace is one to watch.

If you enjoyed this read the later books in the series, or try some of the noir fiction by Vicki Hendricks.