Answers from the Grave by Mark Timlin

by Mark Timlin

" Once upon a time in south London, three young men without a future decide to invent their own. The Sixties are starting to swing and Jimmy, John and Billy want the clothes, the pills, the music and the women. Through drugs, protection and armed robbery, they get most of what they want. But then Billy changes sides and becomes a cop...and finds that his days are numbered." Billy's son, Mark, is working for John Jenner and waiting for the day when his father's killer gets out of prison. It's any time now and Mark is determined to be there when the doors swing open.

Genres: Crime

Paperback

First published January 15, 2004

About the author

aka Johnny Angelo, Tony Williams, Jim Ballantyne, Lee Martin.

Mark Timlin lives in east London, has a Rolex and drives flash old American cars.

Reviews

[Ian Mapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew i knew this guy's name - a former roadie for the who - he looks like he is a prolific writer, who turned to crime because he thought that he could do it with a more authentic voice that the current crime writers about.

And its hard to argue againt.

this is a book on an epic scale - starting with a ballsed up robbery in Brixton in the early seventies - where an ex gang member, who turned straight and joined the police, is killed by one of his former aquantancies.

This leads to jumps between the 60s - 00s, as the killer is due release and the victims son (now a gang member, with contacts from the same people) comes back to gain revenge on the killer.

In between he gets recruited to complete some modern day jobs by John Jenner and reforms the relationships he had with his fathers killers daughter and copper son.

There a couple of weaknesses with the book that you have to overcome to gain (guilty) pleasure from the book and this is one of the main ones.

How can it be that everyone in these families are so interconnected and all criminals or coppers. How likely is this and stupid.

The other weakness is the ending, which is that over the top its untrue. The victims son does a deal with the killers son to stage a robbery that involves the killer and it all ends in a huge shot out - with the killers son shooting a copper to protect his father who he hasnt seen since he was jailed. Blimey... I am tired just writing this down.

The authentic voice (full on cockney), fast pace and scope of the novel do save it from mere pulp and there is enough other stuff going on and a suitably down beat ending that reminds you of carlitos way or heat - with the victims son dying just as he was about to start his new life - to make this an enjoyable holiday read.

[James Kidd · Rating 4 out of 5]

liked this - better novel than sharman series