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HARDBACK |
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256 pages |
ISBN |
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1-905802-005
978-1-905802-00-5 |
Release Date |
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25th August 2006 |
Price |
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£13.99 |
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TRADE SOFT BACK |
|
256 pages |
ISBN |
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1-905802-01-03
978-1-905802-01-2 |
Price |
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£9.99 |
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The story is set in a near future Britain in the direst quarter
of an unnamed city. This is a landscape of tower blocks of huge
street lamps that turn the world a shade of greyish orange – beneath
which all human activity seems suspect – of winding paths and
foot bridges over never quiet motorways.
A government initiative to deal with increasing opposition to unpopular
council tax rises contracts bands of citizen volunteers to collect payment. Francine
O’Brallahan aka Bulletproof Suzy, a highly intelligent though
somewhat violent member of the urban underclass, recruits three other
young females, her ‘little ladies’, to exploit the opportunity
to earn enough cash to find a better life.
Suzy’s middle class politically correct friend Joanne disapproves
of the venture and their friendship is broken. Joanne is found
brutally murdered outside Suzy’s tower block not long afterwards. Suzy
and her crew set about finding the killer to exact retribution in
the only way that they know, but there are two deadly and ominous
complications:
as far as the city police are concerned, Suzy herself remains the
prime suspect and there appears to be damning video evidence to back
up their theory;
there is a menacing new gang infiltrating Suzy’s neighbourhood – they’re
numerous, sophisticated and armed to the teeth and they’re after
Suzy’s blood.
Ian Brotherhood’s debut novel seems destined to become a modern
cult classic. Suzy’s narrative is pacy, fresh and
idiosyncratic and her character is an astonishing creation-perhaps
the first significant female anti-hero of the 21st century.
This is a short sharp left hook of a book, and it hits the spot.
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