Nick Triplow's soulful biography of enigmatic British crime fiction pioneer, Ted Lewis (author of Get Carter), is one of those rare works of literary investigation that relentlessly asserts its own status as art. Like Philip Hoare's Melville in The Whale or James Sallis' Chester Himes: A Life, Triplow more than uncovers the forgotten godfather of the modern British crime story; he also spins a noir morality tale with a poetry all its own. Mike Hodges' 1971 cinema classic was based on a book called&nbsp;Jack's Return Home, and many commentators agree contemporary British crime writing began with that novel. The influence of both book and film is strong to this day. Lewis never lived to realize his legacy. Ted Lewis is one of the most important writers you've never heard of. Born in Manchester in 1940, he grew up in the tough environs of post-war Humberside, attending Hull College of Arts and Crafts before heading for London. His life described a cycle of obscurity to glamour and back to obscurity, followed by death at only 42. He sampled the bright temptations of sixties London while working in advertising, TV and films and he encountered excitement and danger in Soho drinking dens, rubbing shoulders with the "East End boys" in gangland haunts. He wrote for&nbsp;Z Cars&nbsp;and had some nine books published. Alas, unable to repeat the commercial success of&nbsp;Get Carter, Lewis's life fell apart, his marriage ended, and he returned to Humberside and an all too early demise. Getting Carter&nbsp;is a meticulously researched and riveting account of the career of a doomed genius. Long-time admirer Nick Triplow has fashioned a thorough, sympathetic, and unsparing narrative. Triplow is at once a cold case detective and a Boswell of the backstreets. Required reading for noirists, this book will enthral and move anyone who finds irresistible the old cocktail of rags to riches to rags.

Getting Carter: Ted Lewis and the Birth of British Noir

Biographies & Memoirs

Triplow, Nick

Arts & Literature

Soho Syndicate

The classic film Get Carter was based on a book called Jack’s Return Home, and many commentators agree contemporary British crime writing began with that novel. The influence of both book and film is strong to this day, reflected in the work of David Peace, Jake Arnott, Russell Lewis, and the likes. But what of the man who wrote this seminal foundation work? Ted Lewis is one of the most important writers you've never heard of. Born in Manchester in 1940, he grew up in the tough environs of postwar Humberside, attending Hull Art School before heading for London. His life described a cycle of obscurity to glamour and back to obscurity, followed by death at only 42. He sampled the bright temptations of sixties London while working in advertising, TV, and films; he encountered excitement and danger in Soho drinking dens among various gangland haunts. He wrote for Z Cars and had eight books published. Alas, the life of Ted Lewis fell apart, his marriage ended and he returned to Humberside and an all too early demise. Getting Carter is a meticulously researched and riveting account of the career of a doomed genius. Long-time admirer Nick Triplow has fashioned a thorough, sympathetic, and unsparing narrative. The story of Ted Lewis carries historical and cultural resonances for our own troubled times.

Getting Carter: Ted Lewis and the Birth of Brit Noir

Oldcastle Books

Frank’s Wild Years - betrayal and last chances at the frayed and fading edges of the south London underworld. IN THE TWILIGHT days between Christmas and New Year, Frank Neaves is about to drink away his last tenner in a Deptford boozer. A former friend and associate of long-dead local villain Dave Price, Frank’s scotch-soaked meditation is interrupted when Carl, Price’s son and the pub’s landlord, disappears leaving an oblique one line note for barmaid, Adeline. Carl has set his heart on bringing his young daughter home for New Year’s Eve. An undertaking that puts him on a collision course with his ex-wife’s new man, a Hull-based hard case called O’Keefe. Desperate to avoid a violent confrontation that Carl can’t win, Adeline persuades Frank to join her. They take a slow train for Humberside. And with the year grinding towards its close, Frank’s former life comes back to haunt him in a way he could never have imagined...

Frank's Wild Years

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Mystery

Caffeine Nights Publishing

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