Brighton Rock, by Graham Greene
This is a shameful admission: up until last week, I had never read any Graham Greene. Shameful because I call myself a “writer”. Let me say this to anybody who hasn’t read Graham Greene and calls themselves a writer: read him as fast as you can, because the man possesses mind boggling literary power, and that’s no exaggeration.
The book in question is, of course, Brighton Rock; which also recently became a major motion picture. The summary goes something like this: Pinkie is the leader of a mob in Brighton. They’re not what you’d think when you think of the word “mob”, and, led by Pinkie, they sort problems out in a low-key sort of a way. Of course, every now and again somebody has to die, but that’s part of the job for Pinkie. He may be young and naïve but he is also determined, smart and quick-thinking. More than anything, he won’t let a rival mob stand in his way, and when they start to, Pinkie takes action.
All of these skills are called into question when a murder seems to point the finger in Pinkie’s direction. Unwilling to allow this to hang him – quite literally – he sets up a way out: a way to insure that his investments are protected and his reign over Brighton’s underworld continues.
That’s just the start. Greene is a master at thriller writing, and does so with a romantic charm that very few writers – in any genre – can proclaim to be in control of. Beautiful, but also dark and disturbing, this is a book that will easily take you away from your Industry Market Research and make you question how love and hate can be so closely intertwined.
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