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The Black Mile
by
Mark Dawson (Goodreads Author)
London, 1940: the beginning of the Blitz, an era defined in blacks and greys. Prostitution. Police corruption. Gangland intrigue. Henry Irving is a disgraced hack on a Fleet Street scandal rag. Detective sergeant Charlie Strange is a fresh face in the Met, hunting corrupt coppers but blinkered by ambition. Detective inspector Frank Murphy mourns his dead daughter with booz...more
Kindle Edition, 373 pages
Published
March 18th 2012
by Black Dog Publishing
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This was a readable tale but the 1940 setting did not come off believably. The slang, although accurate, felt uncomfortable since the context and overuse felt contrived and unnatural. There were also too many errors of fact or unlikely events. A few examples:”
A single engine Hurricane was shot down “engines trailing fire”.
Plastic bags that had not yet been invented were used to bag hands and heads.
London street tarts were wearing nylons in 1940 which is unlikely since nylon stockings were first...more
A single engine Hurricane was shot down “engines trailing fire”.
Plastic bags that had not yet been invented were used to bag hands and heads.
London street tarts were wearing nylons in 1940 which is unlikely since nylon stockings were first...more
The content of this book could have been taken straight from today's headlines: corruption in the police force, journalists making up sensationalist stories, scandals involving the great and the good of the realm, a murderer preying on prostitutes in the West End. But this story is based on a true killing spree that happened in the 1940s.
When I first started the book, I was a little bit wary, as there were quite a few newspaper reports and police reports rather than narrative. Was the whole book...more
When I first started the book, I was a little bit wary, as there were quite a few newspaper reports and police reports rather than narrative. Was the whole book...more
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Even though WWII is going on and Britain is being bombed nightly, London's criminal life doesn't let up. During the black-out, the city is plagued by a murderer dubbed the "Black Out Ripper" and the police are doing everything they can to find him and stop him. However, every lead on the case opens more doors and inquiries only lead to more questions. Henry Drake is a journalist who can smell the accolades he will receive by being the one to print the identity of the Black Out Ripper. Charlie Mu...more
1 like · like · see review
Set just before and during The London Blitz, when the German Luftwaffe tried to bomb Britain out of World War II, The Black Mile by Mark Dawson is a crime thriller told from three perspectives
Brothers Frank and Charlie Murphy are police officers, and Henry Drake is a newspaper reporter with more than a few secrets, but all three are looking for The Blackout Ripper, a serial killer murdering prostitutes in the seedy West End of London.
I'm a fan of the British TV series Foyle's War, which also in...more
Brothers Frank and Charlie Murphy are police officers, and Henry Drake is a newspaper reporter with more than a few secrets, but all three are looking for The Blackout Ripper, a serial killer murdering prostitutes in the seedy West End of London.
I'm a fan of the British TV series Foyle's War, which also in...more
Very well written. I truly enjoyed reading this book. Set against the backdrop of WW II in England, it just keeps rolling along through bombings as a murder investigation takes place. The twists and turns, body counts, and suspense just keep building the whole time. Add to that a very troubled relationship between 2 brothers and their father, all of them cops and somehow intertwined in the same murder investigation. I enjoyed the plot and the twists and turns which keep you in suspense until the...more
Questions as part of my goodreads book club.
1) Did we like the World War 2 backdrop for the book? I think it created extra excitement. For example, when they had to take cover during air raids.
2) How did you relate to the two policemen brothers? Were they believable and did they made good characters? For me, the characters were less believable than the setting. However, knowing that the story is probably based on real people, perhaps they behaved more natural than we think. Seldom are we thrown...more
1) Did we like the World War 2 backdrop for the book? I think it created extra excitement. For example, when they had to take cover during air raids.
2) How did you relate to the two policemen brothers? Were they believable and did they made good characters? For me, the characters were less believable than the setting. However, knowing that the story is probably based on real people, perhaps they behaved more natural than we think. Seldom are we thrown...more
My first by this author and a really good read.
At first I wasnt sure that I would enjoy the time period chosen but I was soon engrossed in the action and was back in London at the start of the Blitz.
I thought that the three separate narratives mingled together worked well and made for an exciting read. The use of one of the character names at the beginning of most sections, left the reader in no doubt where you were and who you were with.
A few loose threads were left at the end of the book and I...more
At first I wasnt sure that I would enjoy the time period chosen but I was soon engrossed in the action and was back in London at the start of the Blitz.
I thought that the three separate narratives mingled together worked well and made for an exciting read. The use of one of the character names at the beginning of most sections, left the reader in no doubt where you were and who you were with.
A few loose threads were left at the end of the book and I...more
Probably the most boring book I have read in the last five years. You'd think a story of intrigue and deceit set to such a mammoth background it would have had me flipping pages like mad, but no. The characters where empty, the narrative was repetitive, and, well, in the end the story was flat. Even the diction was odd, running from period dialect to the modern and back again, nouns not used today being thrown in with no reference or explanation.
This is an interesting book, since it is set in 1940 in London, where a Jack the Ripper type killer is murdering women. Given the amount of corruption depicted, it is a wonder that the police force was able to work at all--in fact, one innocent man is hanged. The nook book is over 700 pages long, but the characters are so interesting, that it moves right along. It gives you an idea of what it was like to live at that time in history.
I have now completed this book and all in all enjoyed the read. Must admit that towards the end was beginning to get bored. Characters well developed but the plot seemed one dimensional and the framing of the London blitz somewhat contrived notwithstanding recommended.
I like to read a variety of books. This one had crime and history and a lot of British vocabulary. Some story lines like Franks daughter were left unfinished, but liked how the three main characters came together in the end.
Not one for historical books, this surprised me. It kept my attention to the end and I ll be looking for more by the author. As I've said before with other books, 3 1/2 stars would be appropriate if available. Not quite a 4 star.
Very enjoyable read. Would make a good TV film - a cross between Foyles' War and The Sweeney.
This is a straight forward mystery/thriller about a killer who strikes in the blackout during the war. It is reasonably well written and flows along nicely, you have two main characters (brothers in the police force) who are trying to find the killer but from other angles. These two were good characters who built well through the story.
My only concern was there are a couple of loose ends from the story that needed closing off but that aside it is a good read and at its current kindle price exce...more
My only concern was there are a couple of loose ends from the story that needed closing off but that aside it is a good read and at its current kindle price exce...more
Jun 17, 2013
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kindle English My...: December 2012 Group Read - The Black Mile by Mark Dawson | 11 | 21 | Jan 03, 2013 02:18pm | |
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