Blood & Cinders by DDC Morgan
This is the third novel I’ve read from the excellent Fahrenheit Press, and so far the best. Imagine the hard-boiled prose of Raymond Chandler or Dashiel Hammett transplanted from Los Angeles to the grimy, bomb-damaged streets and relentless rain, drizzle and fog of south-east London in 1949 and you have true noir.
Add all the other elements of mean-streets crime fiction: the lone, ascetic investigator, hard-nosed but soft-hearted, reluctantly drawn into a tangled web of intrigue, deceit, blackmail and murder; the strong femme fatale; corrupt officialdom …
But here’s something truly unique: it’s all set in the gripping world of speedway racing, which was immensely popular among the urban working classes in the pre- and post-war years. Reg Calloway is in charge of security for the Bermondsey Bullets. Their ace rider, Dashing Des Fenton is killed in an apparent accident. Nothing unusual about that. It’s a dangerous sport and the riders know the risks. But team owner Pattie Moxon tells Calloway she suspects foul play, and asks him to investigate. In true Chandleresque style, he is led up several blind alleys before he approaches the truth.
But what’s truly remarkable about this novel is how it conjures up the world of postwar Britain, with references to popular culture and habits of the time. You don’t just see the image. You smell it. The dampness, paraffin heaters, Castrol engine oil, brilliantine, untipped cigarettes and pipe tobacco. And the occasional whiff of Shalimar perfume.
The book is not without its faults. While for the most part the plot has all the pace and thrills of a dirt-track race and the dialogue has all the hardbitten edginess of classic noir, there are a couple of passages, and almost an entire chapter, that read like a history lesson. They could probably have been more skilfully integrated. Also, the alert reader with a knowledge of the Waffen SS will have guessed where the plot is going rather too early. Plus, with Fahrenheit Press you have to reckon with a few typos, although on that score, Blood & Cinders isn’t too bad.
In case you haven’t heard of it, Fahrenheit Press is an independent publisher of authors who might not get a foot in the door with the Bedford Square literary mafia. Exclusively crime fiction but maybe they will branch out into other genres. The downside is that the manuscripts don’t benefit from thorough editing and proofreading. But don’t let that put you off.
I’m looking forward to the next Reg Calloway novels in the series: Pills & Soap and Rope & Canvas.
RedLines 