Powerful performance of a powerful story!

Saul Reichlin is a master narrator and puts his all into this series of books. A shockingly desperate, frustrated and painful look back on a time when things were done very differently. Superb writing, in a league all of his own.

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So Dark You Need the Light on!

Originally I was going to rate this novel 3, but powerful ending changed my mind. This book is not for the squeamish, it is graphic and contains extremely bad language, so much so that one becomes blunted by it. It is a fairly deep novel and very sad on a number of levels. In an interview with the author David Peace at the end of the book, he says that he thought that the TV series Red Riding was better than his book(s). I have to disagree, this is a very powerful novel and stands alone although part of a quartet of stories. If you watched the TV Series it is similar but not the same, so your enjoyment will not be spoilt. Saul Reichlin's narration is brilliant, and like the Millenium Trilogy he brings all the characters to life. I was going to leave a gap of a couple of months before downloading the next book, but cracked and downloaded 1977 directly I had finished listening.

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1 person found this helpful

very good but be careful - Wrexford this ain't

If you are looking for a murder mystery along the whodunnit pattern then look elsewhere. These books are dark and nasty. There are few if any redeeming characters. The grotty underbelly of human nature is exposed in all its horridness. The prose is vicious, the language very very strong and the subject as nasty as the crimes it was influenced by. Listening to them is not likely to cheer you up or even entertain you. However, they are very, very good.

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Stunning, Horrible, Gripping, and Awful

I'm from Wakefield, grew up in the seventies, and this book captures what it was like to live in that desolate, dying part of of the West Riding during those horrible, dark, dark times.

We've moved on, thankfully, in some ways. Coppers are less likely to be in the pockets of businessmen (I hope), life is not the struggle it was back then, and you and you are not nearly so likely to be beaten up for having the wrong bike/clothes/hairstyle etc. But it's all here, casual violence to strangers because they are different, the nasty men, and nasty times. Eddie is often listening to the radio in his Viva, but no matter what was on, the feeling I had through out this book was the same as the darker parts of the Specials back catalogue. A decade too early, but spot on.

Other reviewers have complained about the use of the F word in it, but in that grotty little bit of West Yorkshire that's certainly how I remember it. Shouted across the street, screamed at each other and used in place of most of the rest of the English language, especially the more emotive parts, the F word was everywhere.

The plot is a slow burner but the finale is excellent. A great listen, let down a little by the frankly very poor accent of Saul Reichlin.

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6 people found this helpful

Amazing

loved this once the story got going. finished it in an insomnia day. just off to buy 1977

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James Ellroy comes to 1970s West Yorkshire

'hard-boiled', 'gritty', 'dark' - the usual descriptions apply. If you like the James Ellroy, Raymond Chandler, James M Cain style of writing then this is a book for you. More tea and chips than coffee and grits but this book delivered me to that dark edge of the criminal world in the same way, this with an even darker edge that made me wince at times. Agatha Christie it ain't!
Best book I've read / listened to for a long time. I'm looking forward to the next one...

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Saul Reichlin performance brilliant

Better than reading the book or watching the tv series. I've done both. Excellent performance

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Gritty Off-Beat Crime Novel Set In Leeds

David Peace's books can be a bit challenging, but are well worth the extra effort they require of the reader (or listener). This book is the first of the four book 'Red Riding' quartet and I thoroughly enjoyed it, gruesome though it is.
Saul Reichlin, who did a brilliant job, narrating Steig Larsson's 'Millennium' trilogy, has a slightly dodgy west Yorkshire accent, but one soon gets used to it.
I'm looking forward to listening to the next three books.
This is easily a five-star listen.

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brilliant.

great there is a story to follow,enjoyed the book from start to finish.the narrator brings the people to life.could not wait to download second book.

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not your standard crime novel

I agree that this book is not for the fainthearted, it is extremely dark and uncompromising but that doesn't stop it from also being extremely good. crime in real life is dark and effects peoples lives in profound ways. The book is very real in this sense and I found it totally compelling. the characterisation is excellent and whilst there are some wicked people in the book they are very well constructed wicked people whose actions ring true in the context of the plot. The focus of the book is corruption both personal and institutional and this is portrayed in all its squalor. The harshness of the language reflects the depravity of some of the players and accentuates the powerlessness of the victims.

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