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WORK TITLE: Last Year’s Man
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://pauldbrazill.com/
CITY: Bydgoszcz
STATE:
COUNTRY: Poland
NATIONALITY: English
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in Hartlepool, England.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and English teacher. Teaches English in Poland.
WRITINGS
Editor or coeditor of books, including Exiles: An Outsider Anthology, Off the Record 2: At the Movies, and True Brit Grit. Contributor to anthologies, including The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime, volumes 8, 10, and 11. Contributor to websites, including Beat to a Pulp, A Twist of Noir, Flash Fiction Offensive, Killers n Chillers, Powderburn Flash, Shotgun Honey, and Spelk Fiction.
SIDELIGHTS
Paul D. Brazill is a British writer, who is based in Poland. He has taught English in that country for many years. Brazill writes in the noir genre and has released short story collections and novels. He has also contributed to websites and anthologies.
Thirteen Shots of Noir and Drunk on the Moon
Thirteen Shots of Noir is Brazill’s first collection of short stories. A critic on the AustCrime website described the book as “dark, funny, dark, clever, funny, dark and absolutely brilliant.” Kevin Tipples, writer on the Kevin’s Corner website, asserted: “At sixty-three pages this is a fast read and a good introduction to the work of Paul D. Brazill author of A Case Of Noir, Gumshoe, and Guns of Brixton among other works. Published by Untreed Reads this is a quality read well worth your time.”
In Drunk on the Moon, a novel, Brazill tells the story of Roman Dalton, a private investigator and werewolf. The book was released in 2012.
Guns of Brixton and Cold London Blues
Big Jim and Kenny Rogan, gangsters who botch a major heist, are the stars of Guns of Brixton. The two work for Mad Tony Cook, who assigns them the job of apprehending an important briefcase. A series of poor judgement leaves a man dead and the briefcase gone. In the meantime, Big Jim and Kenny steal jewelry from a store while dressed as women. “Rich quick-fire dialogue full of colorful characters fill each page from start to finish. Their words are all delivered like solid noir gold bricks,” commented a contributor to the Bristol Noir website. Gabino Iglesias, reviewer on the Out of the Gutter website, suggested: “Brazill’s capable of getting a laugh out of readers, but what’s truly impressive is that he does so while simultaneously making them cringe.” Iglesias added: “Brazill has a knack for larger-than-life characters, tar-black humor, and sharp plots, and Guns of Brixton offers a great deal of all that.”
Cold London Blues features a colorful group of characters. They include a movie star with a comic book obsession, a murderous priest, and a reluctant gangster.
Too Many Crooks and A Case of Noir
In Too Many Crooks, Peter Rhatighan claims to have access to a valuable artifact from WWII, the Totenkopfring. He offers it to a beautiful woman he meets at a bar in London. Their story is connected to that of a Polish doctor named Anna Now. David Nemeth, contributor to the Unlawful Acts website, remarked: “Nasty killings are not the only things you will find in Too Many Crooks. Brazill’s writing is fast-paced and humorous which makes this one-sitting novel a lively read.”
The protagonist of A Case of Noir is Luke Case. He flees from Poland to Spain after angering a dangerous mobster. Luke goes on to Toulouse, where he reconnects with someone from his past. Writing again on the Unlawful Acts website, Nemeth commented: “If you like your books with melancholy masked in the false joy of booze, sex, and beatings then Brazill’s A Case of Noir is exactly what you are looking for.”
Big City Blues, The Last Laugh, and Kill Me Quick
Action jumps from the UK to New York in Big City Blues. Characters include gangsters, private eyes, and cops. Kate Laity, critic on the Graham Wynd website, suggested: “You’ll find heart-searing observations about the walking wounded and some prose that will knock your socks off.”
The Last Laugh is a short story collection released in 2018. Works in the volume are set throughout Europe and feature classic tropes from the noir genre.
In Kill Me Quick, rocker Mark Hammonds leaves London in disgrace and settles in sleepy Seatown. A contributor to the Crime Fiction Lover website asserted: “Kill Me Quick is a short read, taking about as much time as a trip to the cinema but will likely offer more enjoyment, and costs less than ten percent of the price. Plus, you won’t have to sit next to a grown man dressed as a storm trooper while you read it.”
Small Time Crimes and Last Year's Man
Small Times Crimes is another short story collection by Brazill. It was also released in 2018. Writing on his self-titled website, Graham Wynd suggested: “It’s all hilarious, brutally so. These are not genteel stories. They’re laugh out loud, bitter wincing fun—if you have a black heart and even blacker humour.”
In Last Year’s Man, narrator Tommy Bennett is an aging hitman. He leaves London for his hometown of Seatown after a series of upsetting events. There, he reconnects with family members and old friends, some of whom may bring him trouble. In an interview with a contributor to the ToeSix Press website, Brazill described Tommy, stating: “Tommy’s like a saggy old guard dog that’s lost its bite. He just looking for a quiet life, which most men and women of an uncertain age are. And like [Bono] out of U2, he still hasn’t found what he’s looking for.” Discussing his inspiration for the Tommy character, Brazill told a writer on the All Due Respect website: “A couple of times in my stories, I’ve nodded toward the dour English comedian Tony Hancock, who I’ve written about here. The influence is even stronger in Last Year’s Man—though I think Tommy is much more likeable than Hancock.” In the same interview on the ToeSix Press website, Brazill commented on the narrative’s origins, stating: “The music journalist and biographer Mick Middles once suggested that he and I collaborate on a crime novel set in Manchester, using the music venue The Band On The Wall as the focal point. That plan melted away unfortunately but it set me to writing a version of a pub in my home town where the customers were trapped in a time warp.”
“Brazill offers a series of amusing episodes filled with breezy banter in this offbeat slice of British noir,” asserted a Publishers Weekly reviewer. Referring to Tommy, Tom Leins, critic on the Dirty Books website, commented: “The rumpled, world-weary triggerman … is a perfect conduit for Brazill’s quirky storytelling style.” Leins described the book as “a booze-swilling, bladder-busting, brain-splattering caper. Great fun.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Plus Company Updates, June 23, 2018, article announcing Last Year’s Man.
Publishers Weekly, April 23, 2018, review of Last Year’s Man, p. 66.
ONLINE
All Due Respect website, https://allduerespectbooks.com/ (September 12, 2018), author interview.
AustCrime, http://www.austcrimefiction.org/ (September 12, 2018), review of 13 Shots of Noir.
Bristol Noir, https://www.bristolnoir.co.uk/ (February 24, 2018), review of Guns of Brixton.
Crime Fiction Lover, https://crimefictionlover.com/ (January 6, 2016), review of Kill Me Quick.
Dirty Books, https://dirtybooksblog.wordpress.com/ (August 8, 2018), Tom Leins, review of Last Year’s Man.
Do Some Damage, http://www.dosomedamage.com/ (August 23, 2018), David Nemeth, author interview.
Graham Wynd website, https://grahamwynd.wordpress.com/ (April 17, 2017), Kate Laity, review of Big City Blues; (September 12, 2018), Graham Wynd, review of Small Time Crimes.
Kevin’s Corner, https://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/ (April 29, 2015), Kevin Tipples, review of 13 Shots of Noir.
Out of the Gutter, http://www.outofthegutteronline.com/ (July 23, 2013), Gabino Iglesias, review of Guns of Brixton.
Paul D. Brazill website, https://pauldbrazill.com/ (September 12, 2018).
Richard Godwin website, http://www.richardgodwin.net/ (March 29, 2018), Richard Godwin, author interview.
Silver of Stone, https://silverofstonemagazine.com/ (March 31, 2015), author interview.
ToeSix Press website, https://toesixpress.wordpress.com/ (September 12, 2018), author interview.
Unlawful Acts, https://unlawfulacts.net/ (February 28, 2017), David Nemeth, review of Too Many Crooks; (March 16, 2017), David Nemeth, review of A Case of Noir.
ABOUT ME
cropped-gazeta-wb-414.jpgI was born in Hartlepool, England and now live in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
I’ve been TEFL teaching for more than a decade.
My books include Last Year’s Man, A Case Of Noir, Guns Of Brixton, Small Time Crimes, and Kill Me Quick.
Oh, and there are a few other tasty snacks that you can find here.
My writing has been translated into Italian, Polish, Finnish, German and Slovene.
I’ve had stories published in various magazines and anthologies, including The Mammoth Book Of Best British Crime 8, 10 and 11.
WRITING
GWBAUTHOR
Small Time Crimes (Near To The Knuckle)
Last Year’s Man (All Due Respect/ Down and Out Books)
Kill Me Quick (Fahrenheit 13)
Big City Blues (Near To The Knuckle)
A Case Of Noir (Near To The Knuckle)
Too Many Crooks (Near To The Knuckle)
The Last Laugh (All Due Respect)
Cold London Blues (Caffeine Nights Publishing)
Guns Of Brixton ( Caffeine Nights Publishing.)
13 Shots Of Noir (Untreed Reads)
Od Lune pijan / Drunk On The Moon (Artizan)
Editor
Exiles: An Outsider Anthology
True Brit Grit (with Luca Veste)
Off The Record 2 – At The Movies (with Luca Veste)
Translations
POLISH
Cyk
NA KSIĘŻYCOWEJ BANI – PAUL D. BRAZILL (PRZEŁ. ANETA USZYŃSKA )
ITALIAN
La Supremazia Della Patata: Di Sesso E Di Città: 1
Rosso Esperanto
Morte a Madrid
GERMAN
Pulpcore
DAS BESTE ZUM SCHLUSS
SLOVENE
Od Lune pijan
ŠEPNI MI ŠE ENKRAT NA UHO
FINNISH
AJOKORTTI HELVETTIIN
Anthologies that include my stories.
The Thirteen Lives Of Frank Peppercorn – The Ballad Of Benny Baines
Dark Minds – Life After Life
Crooked Holster Volume 3 – New Dawn Fades
Close To The Boneyard – Killing Mr Cornflakes.
Last Word – The Luck Of The Devil.
Rogue: The Second Anthology – Route 66 And All That.
Shadow’s and Light: To benefit Women’s Aid – The Man Behind The Curtain.
Twelve Mad Men – A Man Of Sophisticated Tastes
Drag Noir – A Bit Of A Pickle
The Mammoth Book Of Best British Crime 11 – Red Esperanto.
Exiles: An Outsider Anthology – The Weather Prophet
La supremazia della patata -Rosso Esperanto (Italian).
The Tobacco-Stained Sky – Murphy’s Bright Spark.
Noir Carnival – She’s My Witch.
Action 2 – The Missionary.
The Best Of Lit Noir – The Man Behind The Curtain.
Gloves Off – The Hit Man & Her.
The Mammoth Book Of Best British Crime 10 – Who Killed Skippy?
Black Moon Rising – Weird Noir
Shotgun Honey Presents: Both Barrels – Gareth And Fiona Go Abroad.
Off The Record 2: At The Movies – Silver Dream Racer.
Nova Parade – Catch As Catch Can
Action – The Liberator
True Brit Grit – Snapshots
Burning Bridges – The Beginning Of The End
Off The Record – Life On Mars?
The Lost Children – The Return Of The Grievous Angel
Laughing At The Death Grin! – The Big Hurt
Pulp Ink – The Lady & The Gimp
The Mammoth Book Of Best British Crime 8 – Guns Of Brixton
Deadly Treats – This Old House
Radgepacket 6 – A Can Short Of A Six Pack.
Radgepacket 5 – A Man On The Run
Radgepacket 4 – The Nightwatchman
Caught By Darkness – The Friend Catcher
Dusted – The Tut
Don’t Tread On Me – Sins Of The Father
Cup Of Joe – The Man Behind The Curtain
Flash! – Ballad Of The Kid & M
Daily Flash 2011 – Swamplands & Crimson Trail
Howl! – The Stamp Of A Vamp 6S,
Volume 2 – In The Dog House.
Magazines that include my stories.
Switchblade 1 – Getting Away With It
All Due Respect 5 – The Last Laugh
All Due Respect 1- The Bucket List.
Nightmare Illustrated 2 – The Skull Ring
Lit Noir 10 – The Tut
Lit Noir 8 – The Man Behind The Curtain.
Crime Factory issue 9 – Gumshoe Blues
Noir Nation 1 – Who Killed Skippy?
Blink Ink Noir – A Fresh Start
Needle issue 1- The Sharpest Tools In The Box
Crimefactory issue 5 – Guns Of Brixton
Blink Ink issue 1- Old Town, Midnight.
MiCrow Winter 2009 – Half
Dark Valentine issue 1 – Drunk On The Moon
Dark Valentine issue 4 – La Fee Verte
Non-Fiction
Crime Uncovered: Private Investigator – I interview Nick Quantrill
All Due Respect Magazine 7- I review Richard Godwin’s Wrong Crowd.
And there is a shed-load of ONLINE stuff out there at joints like The Flash Fiction Offensive, Pulp Metal Magazine, Spelk Fiction, A Twist Of Noir, Powderburn Flash, Thrillers, Killers n Chillers, Beat To A Pulp, Shotgun Honey etc.
Thursday, August 23, 2018
Interview with Paul D. Brazill
Paul D. Brazill was one of the first independent crime writers I stumbled across when I got into this game. Two things that stood out with Paul is the humor in his writing and his support for other writers. Paul has two new recent releases: "Small Time Crimes", a collection of short stories published by Near to the Knuckle, and "Last Year's Man", a novella about an aging hitman returning to his hometown. I reviewed "Last Year's Man" a few weeks back at Unlawful Acts. You can find out more about Paul D. Brazill on his website.
By David Nemeth
David: Good lord, you sure do publish a lot. What’s your secret? Okay, seriously, what’s your writing routine like and about how many words do you write per day?
Paul: Oh, I’m not even remotely disciplined. I write ‘now and then’. Quite often, I go a few days without writing anything. It’s the scattershot approach that I take to most things in life. It probably means that I limit the type of things I write to short stories, flash fiction, novellas. I don’t see me breathing down Don Winslow or David Pearce’s neck anytime soon.
David: You’re out there day after day hustling other writer’s work. I know that you turned me on to Paul Heatley’s “Motel Whore” and Tom Leins’s “Skull Meat”. First, thanks for that. I also know how much time that takes, but unlike many writers of today you are actually reading your contemporaries’ work and promoting it. Why? Wouldn’t your time be better spent writing your own stuff?
Paul: I got ‘into’ writing after discovering online flash fiction sites like Beat To A Pulp, A Twist Of Noir, and Shotgun Honey. I liked the stuff I read and decided to give it a go myself. A lot of those writers have their own books out now and I read most of them and see no reason not to promote stuff I like. I’ve already written more than most people need.
David: I haven’t had a chance to read “Small Time Crimes” yet. Could you tell me something about it?
Paul: Small Time Crimes is a typically scattershot collection of short stories and flash fiction. Here’s the blurb: ‘Hit-men, con men, jewel thieves, career criminals, killers, crooks and cannibals. They all congregate between the pages of Paul D. Brazill’s Small Time Crimes - a brutal and blackly comic collection of short stories and flash fiction that views the world at its most askew.’
David: I enjoyed one of your latest books, “Last Year’s Man” which displays the wit in your writing. So, what makes Brits funnier than Americans? Kidding. A bit of a safer question, what is it that makes the English so damn funny?
Paul: I think the Brits revel in our own ridiculousness, we know that life and people are absurd. After all, there are two types of people in the world and they are both preposterous. The most preposterous are the ones that don’t know they are, of course.
David: Much of your writing features music, lots of music. Back in the day, were you involved in the music scene?
Paul: I was lucky enough to hit 15 when punk exploded. In 1977 I sold my massive collection of American comics for a fiver and bought Talking Heads ‘77 and Jocko Homo by Devo. I started going to see lots of bands – The Clash, Joy Division, Magazine, The Adverts etc- and I even joined a couple of bands as a bass player though I was never any good!
David: Have you any thoughts on why music plays such a role in your fiction?
Paul: See above! Formative years and all that.
David: You’ve been living in Poland for quite some time teaching English as a second language. Why Poland? Why not some country bordering the Mediterranean?
Paul: I did my TEFL course in Madrid and enjoyed it there, though the 42c heat and siestas didn’t suit me. I was tempted to stay but I wanted to go to uncharted territory, which Poland was at the time. I actually applied for a few jobs when I finished the course – scattershot again. The first job I was offered was in Bratislava – the instructions were fly to Vienna and take the night train to Bratislava. All very Ipcress Files! The job and city looked good but for some reason I was suspicious of it so I turned the offer down. The next email I read was from a school in Skierniewice – a small town in Poland. Just over two weeks later I was living in Poland. And here I stay!
David: More importantly, how does being an expatriate affect your writing?
Paul: Jason Michel of Pulp Metal Magazine once said that the ex-pat life keeps you in a state of permanent adolescence! For sure I have a big distance from current life in the UK which gives my yarns- especially Last Year’s Man - a sense of nostalgia.
David: Give me five books to read, genre is not important.
Paul:
Musical Chairs by Kinky Friedman
White Rabbit K A Laity
The Portable Dorothy Parker
Rat Pack Confidential by Shawn Levy
Blue Heaven by Joe Keenan.
QUOTED: "A couple of times in my stories, I’ve nodded toward the dour English comedian Tony Hancock, who I’ve written about here. The influence is even stronger in Last Year’s Man—though I think Tommy is much more likeable than Hancock."
Paul D. Brazill is one of the most entertaining and original voices in the independent crime fiction community. I recently spoke with him about Last Year’s Man, his latest book through All Due Respect about ageing hit man Tommy Bennett.
— When I first learned about the online crime fiction scene about ten years ago, you were one of the first writers I started following. How have things changed since then?
Those were great, fun times, weren’t they?
There seemed to be oodles of cool ezines out and about: Powder Burn Flash, Pulp Pusher, A Twist Of Noir, Beat To A Pulp, Thrillers, Killers n Chillers, Thuglit, Plots With Guns, Spinetingler, Death By Killing and more. What treasure troves! There seemed to be lots of strange voices telling stories with nodules and spikes. I’m sure I would never have started writing without them.
Of course, a lot of the writers that hung around those ezines and blogs have achieved degrees of mainstream success since then – such as Luca Veste, Patti Abbott and Jake Hinkson. Indeed, crime fiction itself is much more in the mainstream now- via television at the very least. And there is so much more ‘internet’ now, too. So the spark of those raggle-taggle days has gone a fair bit. It’s a little sad but things change.
As the philosopher Eddie Van Halen said ‘You’ve got to roll, roll, roll with the punches just to get to what’s real.’
— What are you reading right now?
I’m reading a couple of ARCs from favourite writers to blurb and The Day That Never Comes by Caimh McDonnell. It’s the second of the ‘four part’ Dublin Trilogy and is marvellous fun.
– One of the things readers immediately notice about your writing is the style. Has your style changed over the years?
Oh, I’m not great at analysis but I’d hope the yarns are tighter now though I doubt the style has changed that much.
— Aging hit man Tommy Bennett might be my favorite character of yours. He has the breezy nihilism of many of your characters, but at times he’s uncertain of himself and regretful. How did he come to be?
A couple of times in my stories, I’ve nodded toward the dour English comedian Tony Hancock- who I’ve written about here. The influence is even stronger in Last Year’s Man – though I think Tommy is much more likeable than Hancock. In many ways Tommy is like an ageing showbiz performer who just can’t seem to give up- vaudeville or music hall. He’s past it but he still has the spark.
— You’ve lived in Poland now for more than two decades (correct?). How has being an ex-pat affected your work?
I moved to Poland in 2001- an oddity in itself- and spent the first few years without a TV or computer which – along with not being able to speak Polish – probably meant I was even more discombobulated than usual. Maybe this meant I was able to create my own writing world – which was/is a vague aim.
QUOTED: "Tommy’s like a saggy old guard dog that’s lost its bite. He just looking for a quiet life, which most men and women of an uncertain age are. And like [Bono] out of U2, he still hasn’t found what he’s looking for."
"The music journalist and biographer Mick Middles once suggested that he and I collaborate on a crime novel set in Manchester- using the music venue The Band On The Wall as the focal point. That plan melted away unfortunately but it set me to writing a version of a pub in my home town where the customers were trapped in a time warp."
Interview: Paul D. Brazill is in the hot seat, talking about Last Year’s Man and music
Sandra’s quick take: Last Year’s Man follows Tommy Bennett as he finds himself in increasingly hot water and has to leave the city until things cool down. The drama follows him. Maybe it’s a case of not being able to teach an old dog new tricks, or maybe it’s just the fact that a shark has to keep swimming to survive, but Bennett has a knack for getting mixed up in situation after situation. He’s likeable, in spite of his criminal activities, and makes you want to root for him and see him come through everything. There were some nice surprises in this book. Brazill is a master at weaving in the subtle details that provide a big pay off in the end. I just read a procedural that had me certain of who the killer was before the 10% mark. I didn’t see some of the pertinent details related to the outcome of Brazill’s story coming. I love an author who can engage me and surprise me and give me a complicated protagonist to root for. If you do too, you’ll find Last Year’s Man to be a highly engaging read.
SR: Let’s start with the opening line: Why Pepsi instead of Coke?
PB: Well, I rarely drink either – they’re bairns’ drinks, of course – but Pepsi Twist has its moments. It’s sweeter, I think. I still associate Pepsi with their Fonzie-esque Lipsmackingrocknroller adverts of the ‘70s. Though we used to drink Panda Cola as kids. And Top Deck shandy.
51rk63stdclSR: What is it about Tommy Bennett that you think readers connect with most?
PB: Tommy’s like a saggy old guard dog that’s lost its bite. He just looking for a quiet life, which most men and women of an uncertain age are. And like Boner out of U2, he still hasn’t found what he’s looking for.
SR: How did Tommy Bennett come into existence? What was the genesis for this character?
PB: Well, you can’t beat a bit of confluence. The music journalist and biographer Mick Middles once suggested that he and I collaborate on a crime novel set in Manchester- using the music venue The Band On The Wall as the focal point. That plan melted away unfortunately but it set me to writing a version of a pub in my home town where the customers were trapped in a time warp. Also, I always liked Takeshi Kitano’s film Sonatine where a violent gangster finds a moment of peace and tranquillity only to end up back in a world of violence. And there’s the western archetype of the old gunslinger trying to retire. So, Last Year’s Man is a probably ‘a north-eastern’.
SR: Do you believe in ghosts?
PB: Not like Casper but as memories or an embodiment of guilt, for sure
SR: What radio stations does Tommy listen to?
PB: In London, he listens to Soho Radio. Punk, ska, funk, and jazz, and more. In Seatown, he probably listens to Seatown Gold FM.
SR: How do Tommy’s musical tastes compare to yours?
PB: Pretty close. We’re both old farts, after all.
SR: What is it about the novella format and length that appeals to you as a writer?
PB: That’s all I can do, to be honest! I started off writing flash fiction for 6 Sentences, Powder Burn Flash, A Twist Of Noir etc and moved on to novellas which seem short n sharp enough for me. When I’ve tried to write something longer it seems full of padding and non-scenes where nothing happens. So I slice off the gristle.
SR: You’ve also written a lot of short stories. What do you like about writing short fiction?
PB: See above.
SR: When we finally get to see Tommy’s mother there’s a sense of understanding, why he is the way that he is. Were you trying to make a point about how parental relationships can shape people?
PB: Maybe Larkin was right when he wrote ‘They fuck you up your mum and dad/ They don’t mean to but they do.’ Also, I really wanted to show that Tommy wasn’t the hardest kid in the sandpit.
SR: There’s a lot of stuff that happens in Last Year’s Man that isn’t exactly put to bed, so to speak. Are we going to see Tommy’s story continue?
PB: Oh yes, I’m working on one now. I’m not going to let Tommy put his feet up. No peace for the wicked, eh?
SR: You were born in England but have relocated to Poland. It seems to me that when you’re in a place sometimes you’re too close to it to really see it clearly. How do you think that moving away has changed your perspective of the UK and UK politics and culture?
PB: For sure. I suspect that the England I write about has less and less connection with Blighty now. During my first 6 or 7 years living in Poland I didn’t even have a TV or the internet and rarely saw English newspapers so I was happily discombobulated. Also, people change. And I’ve changed since I lived in England. But since I’m not a journalist it’s not so important.
Gazeta wb 4SR: What challenges do you face writing about crime set in the UK?
PB: I try not to use guns too much. Gun crime has increased in the UK, of course, but it’s still an American thing. It still is something to be used sparingly.
SR: What is it about Tommy Bennett that you think would make the reader connect with him or root for him and want to see him make it through all his problems?
PB: I think it’s clear his heart is in the right place despite all the bad things he’s done. He’s on the road to redemption though he does have a tendency to get side-tracked.
SR: Tommy gets into another jam and has plenty of cash and his (fake) passport in hand. Where’s he heading to?
PB: He’s hoping to hang around Seatown but he may well be dragged away …
SR: What new projects are you working on?
PB: The Tommy Bennet book I previously mentioned. The working title is The Iceman Always Rings Twice. It’s a title suggest by Daniel Moses Luft on Facebook when he saw that I’d written a short story called The Postman Cometh.
Plus: The Days Of Danny Spencer – a retired copper helps out an old friend and it all goes pear shaped – and I’m turning my short story Gumshoe Blues into a novella.
SR: When you reach eternity you have to choose one of your characters from any of your works to spend forever with. Which one are you picking and why?
PB: Oh, Luke Case from A Case Of Noir for sure … there’ll never be a dull moment.
SR: And if you have to pick a character from another writer’s work to spend eternity with who will you pick and why?
PB: Mr Wolf from Pulp Fiction. Whatever scrapes Luke Case and I get into he could sort it out.
cover-brazill-last-years-man-4Bio: Paul D. Brazill‘s books include Guns Of Brixton, Too Many Crooks, A Case Of Noir, and Kill Me Quick! He was born in England and lives in Poland. His writing has been translated into Italian, Finnish, Polish, German and Slovene. He has had writing published in various magazines and anthologies, including The Mammoth Books of Best British Crime.
Soundtrack for Last Year’s Man
The book contains references to a lot of good music, including the artists and/or songs listed here:
Last Year’s Man by Laughing Lenny.
Songs For Drella by Lou Reed and John Cale
Murderer by Barrington Levy.
Roxy Music – for your pleasure/In Every Dream Home a Heartache
Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon
Ed Sheeran
AC/DC Highway to Hell
Miles Davis
The Banshees Happy House
Peter Gabriel
Lee Perry Super Ape
The Upsetters The Return of Django
Black Sabbath War Pigs
Frank Sinatra Watertown, Fly Me To The Moon
Ella Fitzgerald
The Saints I’m Stranded
Lou Reed – Satellite of Love
The Doors
Iggy Pop – Lust for Life
The Times They Are A Changin’ The Beatles
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Quick Fire at the Slaughterhouse: Interview with Paul D. Brazill
Posted on March 29, 2018 by richardgodwin
Paul Brazill is the master of Brit grit and hardboiled. His stories and novels ring like a chime out of a gangster flick, one with heavy overtones of London. He is adept at using contemporary culture to highlight and augment the inherent drama in his fictions, which are peopled with low lifes and hustlers. Paul met me at The Slaughterhouse, where we talked about Brit Grit and his new work.
What are you writing right now?
‘The Days of Danny Spencer’. It’s the story of a disgraced ex-copper trying to put is life back together. It’s a London-set urban western, after a fashion
If you were to write a Carry On what would it be titled, and who among present actors would you cast in the lead roles?
It would be Carry On Expendables …
Sly Stallone could do the Sid James parts, Jean-Claude Van Damme would be a great Kenneth Williams, soppy old Ryan Gosling would be Jim Dale and Arnie could be the new Babs Windsor, for obvious reasons.
Is Brit Grit on the rise and does it lack the sentimental addiction to resolution that classifies much crime writing, particularly that churned out by the industry?
Brit Grit is bedraggled and unkempt and there’s a lot of it about! Martin Stanley, Robert Cowan, Tom Liens, Aidan Thorn and Paul Heatley, for example, all write books that are away from the mainstream and aren’t interested in tidying things up.
What else is on the cards for you this year
Fahrenheit 13 will be rebooting my seaside noir Kill Me Quick! And I have another seaside noir coming out later this year from All Due Respect/ Down and Out Books. It’s called Last Year’s Man. It’s like Takeshi Kitano mixed with Alan Bennett.
Thank you Paul for a classic interview.
Bio: Paul D. Brazill is the author of A Case Of Noir, Guns Of Brixton, Last Year’s Manand Kill Me Quick! He was born in England and lives in Poland. His writing has been translated into Italian, Polish, Finnish, German and Slovene. He has been published in various magazines and anthologies, including The Mammoth Books of Best British Crime. His blog is here.
Amazon link: Buy on Amazon
Paul D. Brazill: Chaos and Order: An Interview
March 31, 2015 by The Editor 5 Comments
Paul D. Brazill is the author of A Case of Noir, Guns of Brixton and The Neon Boneyard. He was born in England and lives in Poland. He is an International Thriller Writers Inc. member whose writing has been translated into Italian, German and Slovene. He has had writing published in various magazines and anthologies, including The Mammoth Books of Best British Crime 8,10 and 11, alongside the likes of Ian Rankin, Neil Gaiman and Lee Child. He has edited a few anthologies, including the best-selling True Brit Grit – with Luca Veste.
Paul was interviewed by Hector Duarte Jr.
profile pic Dec 2014 (1)
You are a big fan of music. What role did music play in your getting into writing? How does it continue to influence you?
Well, some of the first ‘writing’ I ever did was lyrics. Torch songs, really. There was once a half-plan for me and my mate Peter Ord to be the new Steely Dan or something but nothing came of that, of course. I think the ‘feel’ of the writing is what’s of most interest to me and that’s what I get from music. And images. I do have hopes to write a musical or two.
Growing up, name 3 authors and their books you could not do without.
I wasn’t really a ‘book’ person at all until my late teens but growing up Steve Gerber’s comics and a lot of music press writers- like Paul Morley and Jane Suck- were must reads.
Later, Graham Greene, Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and Elmore Leonard were big faves.
What the hell is genre fiction and what does it mean to you? What does slapping this label on it do to the work, if anything?
It means nothing to me, oh Vienna! It’s just a marketing tool, surely. Nothing more. I suspect it’s still quite disreputable to be a genre writer, thankfully.
What sparked the idea for A Case of Noir?
The Italian publisher – Atlantis Lite Editions- were doing a series of “erotic noir” short stories set in different cities around the world. I sent them Red Esperanto, which is set in Warsaw, Poland. They published it and also translated it into Italian, as Rosso Esperanto. After that, they wanted some more so I dragged the protagonist Luke Case around a few more European locations- Madrid, Granada, Toulouse, before eventually dumping him back in England.
I’ve known a lot of rootless people, especially on the TEFL circuit, and I suppose I am one myself. So material was easy!
How do you balance your home/professional/writing career?
I suspect I don’t!
Some of your main characters are boozy. Why is it important for mains to have weaknesses?
Writing boozy characters isn’t a particularly great stretch! Like I’ve said before, there’s a connection between comedy and tragedy (“Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot.” ~ Charlie Chaplin).
… and between noir and slapstick. Crime fiction is about bringing order to chaos and noir is about bringing chaos to order. Drinkers are always on their way toward a pratfall of some kind. Also they are usually self-deluded and accomplished liars, which suits a noir protagonist more than somewhat.
Why is noir so timeless?
Maybe it’s a part of human nature to sneak a peek into the abyss.
What are the pitfalls/benefits of self-publication? What advice would you give to a writer debating self-publication at this very moment?
I think you have complete control over self-publishing – which can be a good thing and a bad thing – but your stuff will probably be lost in the mire these days. You can be king on Facebook but only 10 people will buy your book when it’s published.
If you want to sell, go mainstream and get an agent but that takes time and patience.
Or go with a high profile/ cool indie. For me that’s the best choice.
Whose work are you currently reading?
Brighton Rock- Graham Greene, Unchosen- Julie Burchill. I recently finished Dorothy B Hughes’ In a Lonely Place and Tony Black’s The Last Tiger.
Three writers we should look out for.
Les Edgerton, Eva Dolan, Nina de la Mer. They should be big time any moment now, if they’re not already.
One reason now is a great time to be a writer. One reason it’s a terrible time to be a writer.
See what I said about self-publishing. You can get published but it may just be the sound of one hand clapping.
How has moving from country to country helped you as a writer?
Not really sure, but you never completely settle, which is maybe a good thing.
Pick a movie that influenced your writing. What about it sparked your imagination?
Charlie Bubbles (1967) is the only film the great Albert Finney has ever directed.
Charlie is a successful writer; an aging angry young man – jaded and cynical, drunk and disorderly – living in London. He decides to go home again to revisit his ex-wife and child in the North, where he was born, dragging along his wraith-like and waif-like secretary, Liza Minnelli.
Charlie roams the frozen wastelands of post WWII Salford in a Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III convertible looking like a fish out of water, unable to find the “roots” that he was once so keen to free himself from.
The “false values” of the South are thrown in Bubbles face by old friends although for me the key scene takes place in a swanky Manchester hotel room when an elderly waiter says:
“I used to know your father sir. We’re all very proud of you. Are you still working sir or do you just do the writing now?”
Bubbles retorts “No. Just the writing.”
Oh, and the names are great too:
Charlie Bubbles, Smokey Pickles, Lottie Bubbles!
QUOTED: "Brazill offers a series of amusing episodes filled with breezy banter in this offbeat slice of British noir."
Last Year's Man
Publishers Weekly. 265.17 (Apr. 23, 2018): p66+.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Last Year's Man
Paul D. Brazill. All Due Respect, $9.95 trade paper (120p) ISBN 978-1-946502-89-6
Tommy Bennett, the narrator of this violent, darkly funny short novel from Brazill (A Case of Noir), is nearing 60 and the end of his unlikely career as a killer-for-hire. After two jobs go bad and a couple of crooked cops pressure him for his services in London, he decides it's time to retreat to Seatown, his birthplace, in northeast England. After getting off the train, Tommy, who has a weakness for drink, enters the first pub he sees, the Tap and Spile ("inevitably nicknamed the Spinal Tap back in the bad-old-good-old days"), where he witnesses an assault in the men's room. When the police show up, he polishes off his pint and leaves. Outside the pub, he's nearly run over by his grown daughter, Tamsin, on her motor bike. Tommy's happy reunion with Tamsin leads to his reconnecting with less savory people from his past, including psychopathic gangster Drella and Drella's drug-dealing sidekick, Sniffy, who enlist him in a scheme that could be his last. In lieu of a plot, Brazill offers a series of amusing episodes filled with breezy banter in this offbeat slice of British noir. (June)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Last Year's Man." Publishers Weekly, 23 Apr. 2018, p. 66+. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A536532891/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=dca1a167. Accessed 13 Aug. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A536532891
Now Available from All Due Respect: LAST YEAR'S MAN by Paul D. Brazill
Plus Company Updates. (June 23, 2018):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Plus Media Solutions
Full Text:
TAMPA: Down & Out Books has issued the following news release:
Down & Out Books is pleased to announce that LAST YEAR'S MAN by Paul D. Brazill is now available, published by its imprint All Due Respect on June 22, 2018 in trade paperback and ebook formats.
About LAST YEAR'S MAN ...
A troubled, ageing hit man leaves London and returns to his hometown in the north east of England hoping for peace. But the ghosts of his past return to haunt him.
Last Year's Man is a violent and blackly comic slice of Brit Grit noir.
Praise for LAST YEAR'S MAN ...
"Brazill offers a series of amusing episodes filled with breezy banter in this offbeat slice of British noir." --Publishers Weekly
"It's all here, everything you've come to expect from a Paul D. Brazill caper--the fast pace, the witty banter, the grim humour and the classic tunes--except this time he's REALLY outdone himself. Unlike the lament in the song the title takes its name from, Paul's best years are surely still ahead of him." --Paul Heatley, author of Fatboy
"Paul D. Brazill is the Crown Prince of Noir. That's my opinion, granted, but I stand by it. For those who require proof, just pick up his latest novel, Last Year's Man, and it will be clear why I make that statement. All hail the crown prince!" --Les Edgerton, author of The Rapist, The Bitch, Just Like That and others
"Brazill is brilliant, a unique voice which stands out from the crowd." --Keith Nixon, author of the Solomon Gray books
Meet the author ...
Paul D. Brazill's books include Too Many Crooks, A Case of Noir, Guns of Brixton, The Last Laugh, and Kill Me Quick! He was born in England and lives in Poland. His writing has been translated into Italian, Finnish, Polish, German and Slovene. He has had writing published in various magazines and anthologies, including The Mammoth Books of Best British Crime.
All Due Respect has brought you low-life literature since 2010, publishing down and dirty novellas, novels, and short story collections from the best writers in crime fiction. Learn more at AllDueRespectBooks.com.
Celebrating seven years as an independent publisher of award-winning literary and crime fiction, Down & Out Books (https://downandoutbooks.com) is based in Tampa, Florida. For more information about the book, to request a review copy of the book, or to inquire about an interview with the author, contact lance@downandoutbooks.com.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Now Available from All Due Respect: LAST YEAR'S MAN by Paul D. Brazill." Plus Company Updates, 23 June 2018. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A544327990/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=efd06a73. Accessed 13 Aug. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A544327990
QUOTED: "The rumpled, world-weary triggerman ... is a perfect conduit for Brazill’s quirky storytelling style."
"a booze-swilling, bladder-busting, brain-splattering caper. Great fun."
Book Review: Last Year’s Man by Paul D. Brazill
Posted on 5 Days Ago by tomleins
LAST YEAR’S MAN
Author: Paul D. Brazill
Publisher: All Due Respect (an imprint of Down & Out Books)
Release Date: July 2018
After a couple of piss-poor decisions, it’s very clear that trigger-happy middle-aged hit-man Tommy Bennett has outstayed his welcome in London. Fleeing the Big Smoke without his passport, Tommy’s options are sorely limited, and he makes the decision to return home to Seatown – his old stomping ground in the north-east of England. Tommy’s unexpected arrival is less ‘prodigal son returns’ and more ‘unpleasant smell wafts back through open window’, and the old rascal finds himself getting sucked back into a brand-new scam alongside a very old friend.
The rumpled, world-weary triggerman – with a long memory, and an even longer list of health complaints – is a perfect conduit for Brazill’s quirky storytelling style, and the story itself (think Get Carter played for laughs) allows him to play to his strengths. For an expatriate writer, Brazill’s knack for writing about small town English grotesques is pretty damned impressive, and unlike the hapless Bennett, this book is slim and spritely!
If anything, this yarn climaxes prematurely, but I suspect we haven’t seen the last of the incorrigible Mr Bennett. A booze-swilling, bladder-busting, brain-splattering caper. Great fun.
Review by Tom Leins
QUOTED: "It’s all hilarious, brutally so. These are not genteel stories. They’re laugh out loud, bitter wincing fun—if you have a black heart and even blacker humour."
Small Time Crimes
Near to the Knuckle Press
Paul D. Brazill
Hit-men, con men, jewel thieves, career criminals, killers, crooks and cannibals. They all congregate between the pages of Paul D. Brazill’s Small Time Crimes – a brutal and blackly comic collection of short stories and flash fiction that views the world at its most askew.
Raymond Chandler advised struggling writers, “When in doubt…have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand” and the story would work itself out. I’d say the Brazill corollary is, ‘When in doubt have a man head to a pub.’ While many of his characters try to reform their ways both bibulous and violent, these hard-bitten by life folk generally find they picked the wrong week to give up their vices.
Or is the WC Fields rule? Never give a sucker an even break — and even the most well-intentioned characters here find themselves driven to desperate acts of violence. Most of them don’t have good intentions though: they’ve got axes to grind and long-nursed resentments to avenge and it’s no surprised to find everything going pear-shaped like life had been formed in a pear-shaped mold.
And it’s all hilarious, brutally so. These are not genteel stories. They’re laugh out loud, bitter wincing fun — if you have a black heart and even blacker humour. Some quotes because Mr B is eminently quotable with a boatload of absurdities, musical swipes and clever allusions:
Yeah, and I used to like Benny Liens. He used to be my best mate. My mucker. My partner in crime. Until he screwed my missus, that is. I sharp went off him then, I can tell you. Which is why I killed the fucker.
They used to say he had more tarts than Mr Kipling. He looked as rough as toast now, though. Hair like straw, face like a blackcurrant crumble, wearing a shabby grey shell–suit. The booze and the divorces had certainly taken their toll on George.
“I met him on a Monday and although my heart didn’t stand still, per say, it certainly skipped a beat or two, I can tell you,” said Martyna.
In the beginning was the sound. The light came later. The sound was a horrifying wail that skewered its way deep into my unconscious brain, until I awoke, drowning in sweat, my heart smashing through my ribcage, my head about to burst.
Truth be told, my most vivid and powerful memories of childhood were always in black and white. The monochrome serials that were shown at the Saturday morning Kidz Klub at the local Odeon cinema, and the Hollywood films on afternoon television, when I was throwing a sickie from school. It all seemed so much more vibrant than anything that real life could come up with. As you would expect of someone who grew up living more fully in his imagination than in the day–to–day, adulthood proved to be a series of disappointments and non–events.
“Hope is the real opium of the masses, Peter.”
I could go on and quote the whole damn book, but just buy it for yourself already. Five stars, shining accolades, Ladybird cover, the Kingsley Amis hungover prose award etc etc. Do yourself a favour.
QUOTED: "dark, funny, dark, clever, funny, dark and absolutely brilliant."
English writer Paul D Brazill's 13 Shots Of Noir is a collection of short stories in the vein of Roald Dahl, The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The first story, "The Tut", was nominated for a 2010 Spinetingler Award, while the story "Anger Management" was chosen as one of the Predators and Editors top twenty crime stories.
HideBook Review
Dark, funny, dark, clever, funny, dark and absolutely brilliant, 13 SHOTS OF NOIR is a short story collection blurbed as in the "vein of Roald Dahl". I need to go back and read Dahl. Unless Brazill's got more of these collections.
Short, sharp and lyrical, these are dark dark dark little morsels, gloriously British in feel, funny where required, poignant where appropriate. Cleverly balanced between sharply observant and a bit of sly commentary on the "human condition", there's really not a bad one in the bunch here. It made me laugh, and made me think all at the same time. Which makes it perfect reading.
Every now and then the universe sneaks up and smacks you very hard around the head and shoulders until you pay attention to that which is being waved right in front of your nose. If this happens to you, and it is 13 SHOTS OF NOIR wafting in and out of your slightly blurred vision, then take the bloody hint.
Submitted 4 years 9 months ago by Karen.
Monday, December 9, 2013 - 6:33pm
QUOTED: "At sixty-three pages this is a fast read and a good introduction to the work of Paul D. Brazill author of A Case Of Noir, Gumshoe, and Guns Of Brixton among other works. Published by Untreed Reads this is a quality read well worth your time."
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015
Review: "13 Shots Of Noir" by Paul D. Brazill
As noted in the subtitle of 13 Shots of Noir the e-book contains 13 short, sharp stories of booze, bullets and bodies. The read fully delivers on those aspects and plenty more. This collection of dark tales by Paul D. Brazill opens with “The Tut.” While comparisons to Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart are obvious, Oliver Robinson has his own particular version of the nightmare in his west London home. So much so he killed his wife, Gloria, just making things worse.
If you need “Anger Management” you could see a therapist. Or, you could channel it by joining up with “The Squad” which featured guys by the name of “Tubeway, Slammer” and Col. They go
beyond the idea of football hooliganism by adding mugging to the mix. The four guys are so good at it they begin to get paid by Mr. Bettis who assigns them a specific job each month to accomplish.
Charlotte lives in East London in “The Friend Catcher.” The title of the story is also her name for a rather creepy neighbor who has tale of the past and a job for her.
When you are a serial killer sometimes you need an assistant. Even better if the assistant has a dog as made clear in “The Ballad Of The Kid.”
Though she came to the idea early, it took a long time for Carole Parker to actually plan to kill her husband in “The Man Behind The Curtain.” At least, that was her initial plan.
There are scores to settle at the party after the screening in “The Final Cut.” The public drama on film only hints at private situations.
Freddy in obsessed with a celebrity known as “M.” In the story by the same name Freddy is finally going to meet his obsession.
“Mr. Kiss and Tell: A Peter Ord Investigation” is one of the longer tales in the book. Told in five short parts, it follows the case of Billy Kirby, who wants to find his missing wife and son. They had good reason to flee all those years ago. Not that this private detective can’t be too choosy as he doesn’t have that many cases as it is.
Father Tim thought he was done hearing confessions at the end of one hot August day until Mad Mack showed up. Mad Mack has bloody feet, a busted lip, and other issues as well as quite the tale to tell. He wants to confess in “Sins of The Father.”
When you wake up after a night of heavy drinking with torn and bloody clothes and your bedroom is trashed you know things are not good. The fact that this sort of thing and more happens to one guy on a fairly regular basis is the point of the tale “Drunk on The Moon.”
Brendan Burke was well known for his regularity of a lifetime of habits. In “Everyday People” his regular schedule isn’t easy to maintain after being run down by a scooter. He is going to need some help once he gets home from the hospital.
Alison Day kept to herself and stayed out of things. That is until a stranger in the street collapsed at her feet in “Stamp Of A Vamp.”
“Thump” might mean somebody is in the pub in the ground floor. It might be her as she has not been around in a while. Or it might be something or someone else.
The 13 tales presented in 13 Shots Of Noir first appeared in 2009 and 2010 on a variety of websites. Some are mystery related, some are more super natural type tales, but all are good flash fiction or a little bit longer stories that are highly entertaining. At 63 pages this is a fast read and a good introduction to the work of Paul D. Brazill author of A Case Of Noir , Gumshoe and Guns Of Brixton among other works. Published by Untreed Reads this is a quality read well worth your time.
QUOTED: "Rich quick-fire dialogue full of colorful characters fill each page from start to finish. Their words are all delivered like solid noir gold bricks."
stories.
POSTED ON24/02/2018 BY BRISTOL NOIR
REVIEW: GUNS OF BRIXTON by Paul D. Brazill
Guns of Brixton by Paul D. Brazill
GUNS OF BRIXTON by Paul D. Brazill
‘FAST, HARD, GUTSY NOIR WITH HEART – JUST HOW WE LIKE IT!’ – Bristol Noir
I became aware of Paul D. Brazill as he stood out amidst the general noise of social media but hadn’t yet read any of his work. I was keen to, suspecting similarities in taste, love of crime noir and us both hailing from the North East of England. Everything pointed to me loving it.
…And I really did – what a grit-brit-noir gem!
It’s a rich, compact piece. In fact, I willingly devoured it over four pints and a coffee.
Rich quick-fire dialogue full of colorful characters fill each page from start to finish. Their words are all delivered like solid noir gold bricks; bang, bang, bang; building up a wall of intermixed noir screwball fun that leaves you looking forward to the final bite…but also hoping it doesn’t end.
As clued by the title itself, taken from a CLASH song by the same name, canny references to bands and music are used by Brazill to pin down characters’ personalities. This also feeds tensions and momentum with a killer soundtrack.
It’s steeped in a classic brit gangster atmosphere, typified on-screen by the likes of Love Honour and Obey, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and also comes with a healthy dose of Get Carter (1971). As it turns out Brazill is an aficionado of the whole Brit-Grit genre. Read his blog here: https://pauldbrazill.com
It all felt like a collection of complimentary short bursts of action, running in parallel as their stories all eventually feed into one on the streets of London. Since finishing the book I’ve read up on Paul’s writing about GUNS OF BRIXTON, on his blog, and it turn out this wasn’t too far off his concept at the time of writing.
Guns of Brixton by Paul D. Brazill
‘NOT A SPARE WORD OR SENTENCE. EACH LINE SINGS OUT A STORY IN ITS OWN RIGHT!’ – Bristol Noir
Guns of Brixton by Paul D. Brazill
You can buy your own copy of this Brit-Grit delight from Paul D. Brazill’s Amazon page.
Other popular reviews by BRISTOL NOIR:
SAVAGE LANE by Jason Starr
QUOTED: "Brazill's capable of getting a laugh out of readers, but what's truly impressive is that he does so while simultaneously making them cringe."
"Brazill has a knack for larger-than-life characters, tar-black humor, and sharp plots, and Guns of Brixton offers a great deal of all that."
Review: Guns of Brixton by Paul D. Brazill
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
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Posted in: books, Brit Grit Alley, Gabino Iglesias, Paul D. Brazill, Review Tuesdays
By Gabino Iglesias
Order From Amazon
It's great to find an author whose voice reminds you of many others while still being entirely unique. Paul D. Brazill is one of those rare authors who pulls it off with flying colors. If you took Ken Bruen's candor, the best of Elmore Leonard's dialogues, sprinkled in some Irvine Welsh, and dragged it all through the dirtiest ditch in South London, the result will be something akin to Brazill's writing. In Guns of Brixton, Brazill's latest release with Byker Books, his prose is as good as ever and the story is as fun and wild as a brawl between the three authors mentioned.
Kenny Rogan and Big Jim Lawson are not the smartest criminals in the world. In fact, they're quite the contrary. When Big Jim is given the simple task of collecting a briefcase full of important documents from Half-Pint Harry, he stumbles. Usually stumbling is no big deal, but it gets pretty damn serious when you're holding a shotgun. With Half-Pint's brains plastered on the wall, things get complicated. Big Jim and Kenny try to take care of the body before anyone finds out, but not before dressing up in drag and robbing a jewelry store. When they have an accident and the briefcase disappears, many individuals will cross paths and become involved in a mess that grows progressively darker and bloodier.
This is a relatively short novel, but it's packed with well developed characters, an interesting plot full of twists, and a lot of action. The narrative moves forward at breakneck speed, but the way the story's put together demands attention because things happen fast and they all matter. Also, the characters are as important as the plot because they're all multilayered and offer distinctive and entertaining personalities that seem to jump off the page and demand the use of the word cinematic.
Although gangsters in drag, plenty of drugs, and a missing briefcase sound like an engaging plot, they don't begin to describe the plethora of little details that make Guns of Brixton a must-read for crime fiction lovers. From a murderous priest and a collection of pop culture references to Richard's desperate need to be away from his wife's whining and Lynne's hatred for her job at the jewelry store (not to mention her bra full of jewels), there's more than enough to keep readers amused and, most importantly, constantly on their toes.
Always save the best for last, right? Well, the best thing about Guns of Brixton isn't anything mentioned above. What ultimately makes this novel a pleasure to read is the humor. Make no mistake: this is as noir as it gets. There's plenty of violence, tension, death, booze, drugs, and blood. However, the dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny and there are enough one liners and bad jokes to put some stand-up comedians to shame. Brazill's capable of getting a laugh out of readers, but what's truly impressive is that he does so while simultaneously making them cringe. If you want to get a taste of how he does it, imagine what a shotgun enema looks like. Or, better yet, imagine a man telling you the story of a very horny group of dwarfs who start having sex wherever they can, including the space under your kitchen sink.
Brazill has a knack for larger-than-life characters, tar-black humor, and sharp plots, and Guns of Brixton offers a great deal of all that.
QUOTED: "Nasty killings are not the only things you will find in Too Many Crooks, Brazill’s writing is fast-paced and humorous which makes this one-sitting novel a lively read."
Too Many Crooks by Paul D. Brazill
1
February 28, 2017
Written by DAVID NEMETH
It took me a few pages of Paul D. Brazill’s Too Many Crooks (Near to the Knuckle) to settle into Brazill’s style — a Tarantino humor with Leonard’s directness. And, who names one of the main characters McGuffin? Either you’ll laugh at this joke or not. I laughed and I think you will too.
This McGuffin thing is a literary easter egg, if you will, and Brazill sprinkles many others throughout Too Many Crooks. There is a family of characters name Rhatigan — I presume named after Chris Rhatigan, a crime fiction writer and editor. The novel’s title even comes from a British movie comedy of the same name “about a bunch of inept crooks who kidnap the wrong woman.” Hell, even some of the chapter titles are jokes that I got. What other jokes and references will you find?
Too Many Crooks moves quickly between London and Warsaw and back again as well as criminal to criminal. Like all good crime books, it begins with a murder.
Ted Singh had really had enough of Bobby Jake’s incessant whining and he was more than somewhat relieved when Ziggy eventually shot the annoying fucker in the back of the head, spraying blood and gunk down the front of Jake’s previously pristine white Fred Perry t– shirt.
Ted’s guts churned. Although he certainly had no qualms about the moral aspects of murdering Bobby Jake, he didn’t really have the stomach for the gory stuff. He never had, truth be told.
“Hold onto this for me,” said Ziggy, handing the Glock to Ted whose hands shook as he took the gun.
The novel might actually have too many crooks, but don’t worry, that’s why the criminals carry firearms. The felonious herd is thinned out repeatedly and with great effect. But nasty killings are not the only things you will find in Too Many Crooks, Brazill’s writing is fast-paced and humorous which makes this one-sitting novel a lively read.
QUOTED: "If you like your books with melancholy masked in the false joy of booze, sex, and beatings then Brazill’s A Case of Noir is exactly what you are looking for."
A Case of Noir by Paul D. Brazill
3
March 16, 2017
Written by DAVID NEMETH
Paul D. Brazill’s novella, A Case of Noir (Near to the Knuckle), is broken up into five short stories that mask as chapters, each focusing on Luke Case, a British freelance journalist drinking and fucking his way through Europe. Case doesn’t like to work or make good decision all of which makes for a great read.
In the first chapter, “Red Esperanto”, we meet Case in a prostitute’s apartment in Warsaw. Things get heated when on of Tatiana’s clients arrives and pounds at the door demanding to be let in. As Tatiana puts it, “Oh, he’s just a customer who has problems separating business from pleasure.” Case only knows pleasure.
Reading Brazill gave me the same sort of enjoyment I get when reading Jim Thompson, characters filling their desperation with alcohol, fornication, and crime. As with Thompson, Brazill knows that the human condition weak and is punctuated with violence and/or death.
I jolted awake, coated in cold, dank sweat. Daylight sliced through the gaps between the broken blinds. A tight band gripped my forehead and my pounding heartbeat seemed to echo through the sparse, familiar looking room.
A beat.
I adjusted to the wan light. I was on my bed. Naked. Back in the flat that I shared with Nathan. I tried to piece together what had happened.
At some point during the night I’d woken up, confused, with no recollection of getting there. Irena, naked, was smoking and gazing out of the bedroom window. The tip of her cigarette glowed bright red and then faded to black.
Lena, also naked, walked up to her, whispered something in her ear and then I dissolved back into sleep.
I stumbled out of the bed and into the bathroom. My wiry arms gripped the washbasin for support. I sighed deeply as I splashed cold water on my face.
When I walked back into the living room, Irena was standing naked in the doorway to Nathan’s bedroom. Bowie’s Station To Station played at a low volume.
She lazily nodded into the bedroom and said, “He’s dead.”
With A Case of Noir, Brazill has written book that is steeped in the cigarette smoke, dirty whiskey glasses, and cheap sex of dive bars. If you like your books with melancholy masked in the false joy of booze, sex, and beatings then Brazill’s A Case of Noir is exactly what you are looking for.
QUOTED: "You’ll find heart-searing observations about the walking wounded and some prose that will knock your socks off."
Review: Big City Blues
2017/04/17KATELAITY
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They’re coming fast and furious from Paul D. Brazill: it’s another cracking Near to the Knuckle novella from Mr B, the hardest working man in Brit Grit. This is #9 in the series and like the others a rip-snorter of mayhem and it’s got plenty of humour.
Big City Blues ranges across Europe and over to the colonies, or at least New York, which is a world of its own. Brazill always like a sprawling jumble of wild threads which he slowly knits together over the course of the unpredictable events and connections. Even his Seatown stories make the small burg feel complex. It’s not like wild coincidences either; it’s more like Six Degrees of Separation — or in this case, maybe only three degrees.
There’s a joyful abundance that teeters on the baroque: old cons, old cops, young geezers, unpredictable collisions of desire and convenience, and always sudden bone-crunching violence lurking around the next corner. Some of the jokes my grandfather would know but with a twist that makes them new again, and so many original observations that had me laughing out loud with surprise. And don’t tell anybody but hiding in between the laughs, the grimaces, the double crossing and the name dropping, you’ll find heart-searing observations about the walking wounded and some prose that will knock your socks off:
The night had draped itself over the city, and the moon bit into the sky. He stopped on the neon-soaked street to breathe in the sultry air. He could smell the lust, the sin and the decay.
A shard of sunlight sliced through the blinds, picking out specks of dust that floated in the air. An old electric kettle boiled in another room. A refrigerator hummed. A dishwasher chugged dully. A mangy black and white car strolled across the newly polished bar before curling up on a wooden bar stool and going to sleep.
Check it out; you’ll see why I’m such a fan. Buy it here or US here.
QUOTED: "Kill Me Quick is a short read, taking about as much time as a trip to the cinema but will likely offer more enjoyment, and costs less than ten percent of the price. Plus, you won’t have to sit next to a grown man dressed as a storm trooper while you read it."
KILL ME QUICK!
January 6, 2016 Written by RoughJustice Published in Kindle, Print, Reviews 2 comments Permalink
killmequick300Written by Paul D Brazill — Number 13 Press was one of the freshest things to hit the UK crime fiction scene last year. It has a simple but appealing concept – 13 novellas arriving, one arriving on the 13th of each month at just 99p for Kindle. And that’s all, job done.
There have been some pretty nifty entries so far, and Number 13 Press has followed a clever editorial line showcasing a range of dark crime, from Grant Nicol’s Icelandic noir The Mistake to Graham Wynd’s erotic and darkly comic Satan’s Sorority and Aidan Thorn’s hardboiled story of revenge When the Music’s Over. Kill Me Quick! is the penultimate novella in the series, and fans of Paul D Brazill will know before reading it that there is likely to be nothing else like it in the set.
Mark Hammonds was kicked out of London – literally. Quite what this ex-guitarist from a short-lived New Romantic band did to deserve a kicking is never explained, but Brazill succeeds in quickly establishing Hammonds as someone who is no stranger to the criminal life. With nowhere else to go, he reluctantly returns to Seatown, a faded northern seaside resort where every day is like Sunday. You know, just like in the Morrissey song. Silent and grey.
No sooner has he arrived than trouble is brewing. Seatown, like much of Brazill’s fictional universe, is awash with dreamers, schemers, grifters and other assorted small-time criminals. The unfortunate passing of local crime lord Captain Cutlass means the place is wide open. There is Quentin Pike, Hammonds’ old geography teacher, hoping to make it big in the local election as the GBIP candidate. His old chemistry teacher, The Prof, already has the amphetamine market wrapped up.
Harry ‘Uncle Shandy’ Shand has a finger in a lot of pies. He used to be Hammonds’ band manager and now runs the Speakeasy, which is the bar where most of the town’s dodgy deals are struck. Then there’s the Ferry clan, local gangsters on their way to becoming legitimate, helped by Bev’s accounting skills. Bev is a formidable lady and someone Hammonds has secretly carried a torch for. This could make things a little awkward with Craig, Bev’s brother and the bass player in the band.
Add in the rumoured return of Seatown’s prodigal son Simon Kelly, the lead singer, and interest from gangsters up from the Big Smoke, and all the ingredients are present for one of Brazill’s comic capers. Whether it is running errands for Uncle Shandy, trying to dispose of a corpse on a pig farm, or collecting a dodgy shipment fresh off the lorry from France, Brazill has it all go wrong for the luckless Mark Hammonds, who can only shrug his shoulders and get another round in.
Brazill’s other work includes Guns of Brixton, A Case of Noir, and Roman Dalton. In truth, the author is not so good with plots, but then perhaps that’s not his main focus. It certainly never held back Raymond Chandler or Elmore Leonard. If your ideal crime read is a tightly-plotted mystery, then this is probably not the book for you. But it is full of mayhem, the unexpected, and humour. In his interview with us, Brazill referenced the Ealing comedies and Damon Runyon, and it is easy to recognise these as influences. The best of his work invokes a similar feeling of joy.
Kill Me Quick! is a short read, taking about as much time as a trip to the cinema but will likely offer more enjoyment, and costs less than 10 per cent of the price. Plus, you won’t have to sit next to a grown man dressed as a storm trooper while you read it.
Number 13 Press
Print/Kindle
£0.99