The Singer by Cathi Unsworth

The Singer

Cathi Unsworth

What did happen to punk rock's vanished seminal singer Vince Smith twenty years ago? Eddie, twenty-first century would-be Pullitzer prize winner, reckons he can find out. You'll need to concentrate as narrative voices and times constantly change but if you're a fan of hard-edged crime or of punk rock I guarantee you'll be hooked. A word of warning for non-rockers: this is 'LA Confidential' without Russell Crowe. Only read it if you like your noir absolutely jet black.

Extract
'There was something about Vince that was genuinely more disturbing than any of them. That's why he was such a good frontman, but I don't think he was at all a nice person.'
'Really? Most of the people I've met so far seem to be almost in love with him.'
'Yeah.' Ray chewed his food thoughtfully. 'There are certain types of bloke who affect other blokes that way. I suppose he'd be the sort who'd get all the others over the top in World War One or something. The rest of the band, they were all lovely blokes, and they did follow him over the top, in a way.'
Parallels
  • Beneath the Blonde by Stella Duffy
  • Red Riding Quartet by David Peace
  • Perverted by Language by Steve Aylett
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Violence
Explicit sexual content