View cart
Beast of Burden
by Ray Banks
ISBN: 9781846970986
Imprint: Polygon
Publication Date: Mar 2009
Format: Paperback
Price: £9.99
Stock Status: in stock
’He writes with harshness, humour and elegance, and his punchy dialogue teems with vigorous authenticity...Banks is the real thing,’ - Marcel Berlins, The Times
’Sharp plotting, fast action and searing black comedy," - Doug Johnstone, The Scotsman
’A ferocious voice with an understanding of modern Britain that refuses to hide or soften its blows,’ - Crime Scene Scotland
‘With a writing style as smooth as glass and with action as jagged and as unignorable as a broken bottle to the throat, Beast Of Burden follows on brilliantly from Saturday’s Child, Donkey Punch and No More Heroes… The prose is deliciously dark without ever overstepping the boundaries into the land of parody, with the characters themselves all drawn from the very underbelly of life in the backstreets. Absorbing, compelling, gritty, in-your-face and, at times, intensely sad,’ – Chris High, Tangled Web
The biggest race riot in Manchester’s history and his brother’s death have left PI Callum Innes a physical and emotional wreck, when the word comes through that his erstwhile nemesis Mo Tiernan has gone missing. Innes is the only one Mo’s ganglord father trusts to investigate, but he’s not the only one working the case – Detective Sergeant ‘Donkey’ Donkin has a vested interest in both the Tiernans and Innes, and he’d sacrifice his career to see them both behind bars. After all, he has a score to settle . . . And he’s not the only one.
Ray Banks was born in Kirkcaldy and now lives in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He went to school. He went to university for two years before he dropped out, something he insists was an achievement. After that, he spent his time as a double-glazing salesman, croupier – he left after the casino was ramraided by armed gunmen – and dole monkey. He thinks he’s a cult. He’s almost right.
