Book Review: Exit Wounds

Reviewed By: Luke Croll - RAM

Exit Wounds     Amazon US PB Amazon UK HC Amazon Canada PB
Shaun Hutson
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Adult Content
Macmillan; 2000; £16.99; pp 414
Classification: Adult fiction (thriller)

A Yardie gangster arrives in London, ready to wipe out any competition. He forms an alliance with the most powerful criminal in London, William Parker. Meanwhile, a minor villain and his friends pull off their final robbery, but discover the haul belongs to Parker. They will be killed unless they agree to his terms - to get rid of the Yardie. With the added task of dodging the police, it is going to be a difficult job.

Hutson has clearly aimed for one of his most violent novels yet. I wonder if it was written with a film in mind, as some of the sequences would easily make the transition to film. He packs in shootings and gun battles and uses a fair amount of swearing, at the same time as trying to paint a picture of the minor villains and why they did what they did.

The pace is fast and Hutson keeps the chapters short. This is also a bit annoying, as where he could have just started a new paragraph, he insists on starting a completely new chapter. Nevertheless, this is only a minor fault in what is otherwise an enjoyable novel. There is nothing in it to break the mould, rather like in his previous novel, 'Warhol's Prophecy', but if you are a fan of gangster stories, this is an enjoyable enough read.

Luke Croll - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

Luke Croll - Conference interpreter and translator
http://lukecroll.translatorscafe.com