Review of Guns of Brixton by Paul D. Brazill

‘Even before he’d switched on the lock-up’s strip light, Big Jim Lawson knew that he was bollock deep in the shit.’

It’s a great way to start a story and it just keeps getting better. Split into six parts that are all named after songs by The Clash (Safe European Homes, Guns of Brixton, Police & Thieves, Bankrobber, The Last Gang in Town and Somebody Got Murdered), Guns of Brixton takes you on an old-fashioned rollicking, bollocks-loaded ride through the gutters, strip clubs and greasy spoons of dirty old London town.

As you follow the exploits of Big Jim Lawson and his chums you will be titillated, disgusted and enthralled in almost equal proportions. Rest assured there will not be a dull moment. The characters are gritty and impossible to forget and the story is paced so there is always something holding your attention solidly to the page. Some parts are extremely funny. Some of the guys in the book are so crazy they’d almost have to be real. The shotguns, corpses, rhyming slang and top secret contents of one very sought after briefcase will keep you fixated from the first line to the final revelation. Great stuff. Highly recommended.