The Crime Trade by Simon Kernick

Another book from one of my very favourite writers and the one which marks my reading of all of his books (excluding one being released in February), 'The Crime Trade' is the story of a major drug deal/sting gone wrong. resulting in six deaths. From here on, the SOCA team have to uncover the source of a leak which caused the sting to go wrong.

What follows is another journey through the London criminal underworld with the reader being introduced to a number of slimy characters who would happily grass up a fellow criminal for a bit of money until the all-important final shootout resulting in deaths and the truth of who planned the leak being released.

Although not as lively and exciting as Kernick's other books, this was still a good read despite the aforementioned lack of action and mystery. However, with Mr. Kernick having connections to the criminal underworld and the Serious and Organised Crime Agency this book shows us what genuinely goes on under our noses (although there will obviously be the odd exaggeration here and there) without us knowing.

Those grotty pubs you grab an afternoon pint in in London could possibly be a criminal haven and the houses you mindlessly walk past could be drug dens. However, I'm not going to claim a novel as gospel.

As I've mentioned previously, this isn't one of simon Kernick's best novels but still a good read which can be completed in just a couple of sittings and also one which I really managed to get lost in with it's deep descriptions and back stories.

I'll have to give this one a rating of 3 out of 5

The Murder Exchange by Simon Kernick

Yes, it's another Kernick book. This time it's his second book written in 2003 and published by Corgi. The story tells of a man who runs a business of protecting people when they're on their way to collect some illicit goods or maybe a celeb on their way to an event. While this business is purely crime free there is of course the possibility that something could go very wrong. And it does.

Now Max Iversson has to avoid the law along with taking a big risk of kidnapping one of London's most notorious criminals.

What follows is a journey through the underworld chasing murderers, police beaters and kidnappers. And quite a journey it is.

Unlike Kernick's other novels this is written from only two points of view in 1st person format only. Another difference is the chapter naming. Whilst all his other books are numbered chapters, this one goes by number of days before the main event and afterwards. A possibility for this is that the story lasts more than just a couple of days unlike the other novels. However, there is no problem in this concept and it works well.

I only recognise Tina Boyd in this story, the other characters don't ring a bell although crooked cop Dennis Milne was mentioned in small parts However, this doesn't matter as such as we are introduced to the characters again in each different book.

Normally I would have read this in a couple of days but damn internet thing has kept me away from books so it took 5 days instead.

As usual Kernick has written with his foot (along with a pen) pressed down hard to create a gripping thriller giving us an insight into what really goes down in the picturesque city of London.

Overall rating: 4/5

Deadline by Simon Kernick

With Simon Kernick being one of my favourite crime/thriller writers it was going to be obvious that I'd like this book as he makes much of it seem like a true crime tale with his knowledge and connections with the Anti-Terrorist Branch and Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). Using this knowledge and connection he can incorporate many authentic operation tactics into his writing.

Deadline tells the story of an abduction of a child with a ransom of half a million pounds cash. Bringing in his main characters (whom appear in all of his books) Tina Boyd, Mike Bolt, Mo Kahn and "Big" Barry Freud Kernick creates a story that is gripping and page-turning with many twists and turns which we wouldn't have guessed would happen.

As the story goes on Mike Bolt takes control of the op. However, as with most of Kernick's novels, Bolt's actions go very wrong or the criminal gets the better of SOCA and Deadline is no exception.

Reading on Kernick drags us deeper into the criminal underground of London and how a place that many people adore can become a place in which serious crime and dangerous gangs are just around the corner. This novel really makes you realise how dangerous 'da streets, innit' can be and may make you take a double look over your shoulder at the quietest of sounds and with the knowledge which Kernick has this adds to the authenticity of the story.

Although the story is intended to be completely serious we can't elp but shake our heads at some of Bolt's actions i.e. Suspension from SOCA yet he chooses to undertake his own investigation thinking he has a lead.

There are many twists and turns throughout with a conclusion which will make anyone go from "Ooh" to "WTF?!".

I may be bias in saying this book is a good read but it is still one I'd recommend any fan of crime/thriller should pick up as rather than tip-toe round the edges he digs right in to the point. I can simply justify this by saying that I own all of his books and have now read all but two of the 10 he has written.

To conclude this review let's just say that Kernick has done it again and managed to write yet another gripping tale of crime, death, destruction, suspense and humour.

Overall rating 8.5/10