Anders Hanson

Well, actually I’ve just finished reading it, but it’s “The Long Firm” by Jake Arnott. This is a brilliant book and one of the best I’ve read in a long while, and I can’t wait to read more of the trilogy of which this is the first book.

After reading it, I then googled it and realised how unfairly slated it was. The majority of the criticism seems to revolve around Jake Arnott not being worth the huge advance he was given, that the writing was not that good and the only reason he was being promoted was because he (a) fitted in with the gangster chic trend that was around at the time which then led in to any film by Guy Ritchie, (b) was gay, or (c) was young and photogenic. Whether these all helped promote him as an author or not, the fact is that the book is very good, well written and interesting.

The Long Firm is mainly set in the 60’s, (which almost put me off buying it), and is the story of East End gangster Harry Starks. Each chapter tells the story from a different person’s perspective - five in all - and the clever part is how the story is moved on over the years, but yet the characters’ stories also overlap so you end up spotting bits of the story that you had already read but from someone else’s point of view. It’s very clever and very interesting. It also managed, although I accept it is purely supposition, to really conjour up well the East End of the 60’s.

I am now starting Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon.

AMAZON UK: The Long Firm by Jake Arnott