When Mitchell is released from prison after serving three years for a vicious attack he doesn't even remember, Billy Norton is there to pick him up...
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Feb 05, 2010
Friends of the Duke University Libraries book review written by Mark Kearney posted by Lizzy Mottern.
Ken Bruen is a Trinity College Dublin lad with a PhD in metaphysics. Should it surprise one that his protagonists walk the balance beam of Cosmic Justice bordered on one side by the Slough of Sin and on the other by the Pit of Madness, maintaining equilibrium with alcohol and wearing their hearts of darkness on their sleeve? Yet the prose is lyrical and touching, with characters and More...
Ken Bruen is a Trinity College Dublin lad with a PhD in metaphysics. Should it surprise one that his protagonists walk the balance beam of Cosmic Justice bordered on one side by the Slough of Sin and on the other by the Pit of Madness, maintaining equilibrium with alcohol and wearing their hearts of darkness on their sleeve? Yet the prose is lyrical and touching, with characters and More...
Feb 08, 2011
Paul
rated it: 
I came across Ken Brujen last year when I read his "Once Were Cops" and found not only a new author but a very unusual author who writes in a very unusual way and his mysteries are unique in their content.
"London Boulevard" starts with Mitchell being released from prison after three years for aggravated assault. He is vfery fortunate that a friend of his informs him of a good job. The job is taking care of a once famous actress. Mitchell's job is to take care o More...
"London Boulevard" starts with Mitchell being released from prison after three years for aggravated assault. He is vfery fortunate that a friend of his informs him of a good job. The job is taking care of a once famous actress. Mitchell's job is to take care o More...
Dec 13, 2010
Liz
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Dec 08, 2009
Cheryl
rated it:
Mitchell has just spent three years in the slammer for a crime he claims he was not guilty for. Now that Mitchell has been released for good behavior, he plans to make the most of his second chance by turning his life around. Unfortunately, trying to better yourself is hard to do when your only ride are people from your past. Good buddy, Billy Norton is happy to see Mitchell. There is one problem...Billy works for a notorious loan shark by the name of Tommy Logan. Tommy wants Mitchell to work fo
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Nov 28, 2009
Tony
rated it:
Bruen, Ken. LONDON BOULEVARD. (2009). ****. Mr. Bruen once again has worked his magic and produced another stand-alone icon of noir. This one is set in London and tells the story of Mitchell, a stand-up guy who has just gotten out of prison. He has just served three years for a vicious attack on a fellow drinker in a bar that he can’t even remember doing. He is met by his friend Billy Norton, who takes him to an apartment that is up-scale to any that Mitchell has ever had. Norton tells h
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Nov 21, 2011
Ed
rated it:
London Boulevard purports to be an updating of the Sunset Blvd story moved to London in the present (at the time of the writing). The similarities to Sunset Blvd are really surface at best. There is an aging actress and the protagonist is financially supported by said actress however the Sunset Blvd similarities appear to be pasted onto the framework of a very good noir crime novel. The protagonist, Mitchell, is recently released from prison for a crime he was too drunk to remember. His friend,
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Feb 18, 2010
Susan
rated it: 
This ended up being one of those books that I am having a hard time deciding what I really want to rate it and how to explain why I gave it that rating. This is the first time that I have read anything by this writer. His writing style is different than I am used it. I found myself not being able to put the book down because I did want to know what happened next. However I feel that I kept expecting something to happen and it did not. Mitchell is one of those characters for me that is borderl
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Apr 04, 2011
Alecia
rated it:
Sunset Boulevard redux. I was torn between giving this 2 or 3 stars. I would've preferred 2.5. so that is what my rating is officially. Bruen's writing style is quite unique, so that tips the scales, as I see it, to a higher score. But the derivative story! Is it supposed to be ironically recognizable? I wasn't sure, but it is so similar, right down to the slavishly devoted butler, Jordan, the quite mad ageing star, and the girfriend our hero falls in love with. Of course, the hero in this bok i
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Jan 05, 2010
Wyma
rated it:
Bruen's style is short, even shorter than Hemingway and conversational, like you'd expect to encounter in any Irishman you met in a pub. Or so I imagine. He leaves prison behind with an attitude and steps out into the light expecting to take on the world. And he does. Everything goes his way: posh places to live, jobs, old friends, new girlfriend. SPOILER: In the end, however, he's headed back to where he began, used and emotionally brutalized, not a hero but everyman.
If I have More...
If I have More...
Jan 29, 2012
Valeriane
rated it:
London Boulevard, ça se passe à... Londres.
Mitch sort de prison. 3 années passées derrière les barreaux. Enfermé pour une bagarre dont il n'a aucun souvenir, il compte bien revenir à Londres avec un avenir un peu plus "stable devant lui".
On ne sait pas trop ce qu'il faisait avant, mis à part qu'il trempait dans des affaires plutôt louches... sex, drugs & rock'n roll... ce qui l'a conduit tout droit en tôle.
Son vieil "ami" vient le chercher à sa sortie. Il lui l More...
Mitch sort de prison. 3 années passées derrière les barreaux. Enfermé pour une bagarre dont il n'a aucun souvenir, il compte bien revenir à Londres avec un avenir un peu plus "stable devant lui".
On ne sait pas trop ce qu'il faisait avant, mis à part qu'il trempait dans des affaires plutôt louches... sex, drugs & rock'n roll... ce qui l'a conduit tout droit en tôle.
Son vieil "ami" vient le chercher à sa sortie. Il lui l More...
Nov 14, 2008
Peter
rated it:
Wow. What a filthy, vicious, and derivative mess this book turned out to be. And I loved it. I loved every page of it.
Turning the venerable noir film Sunset Boulevard on its head and placing it in London, Bruen gives us Mitch, a laconic, articulate, and literary ex-con. But an ex-con, nonetheless. Mitch steps out of Her Majesty's prison and into mate Billy Norton's van, and no sooner is he out but his life promises all the inducements and trepidations a man could want. Within ho More...
Turning the venerable noir film Sunset Boulevard on its head and placing it in London, Bruen gives us Mitch, a laconic, articulate, and literary ex-con. But an ex-con, nonetheless. Mitch steps out of Her Majesty's prison and into mate Billy Norton's van, and no sooner is he out but his life promises all the inducements and trepidations a man could want. Within ho More...
Aug 25, 2008
Gary
rated it: 
"It's About Absolute Devastation"
"Mitchell" is a hard guy. He is just out of prison after three years of payback for a brutal beating he doesn't remember. But best mate Billy Norton is waiting at the gate with a sweet setup for Mitch as the muscle for a loan shark. Though Mitchell's feeling are mixed. While the perqs that come with the leg breaking are good, he'd just as soon skip another stay at the gray bar hotel. When a job as a live-in handy man for aging ac More...
"Mitchell" is a hard guy. He is just out of prison after three years of payback for a brutal beating he doesn't remember. But best mate Billy Norton is waiting at the gate with a sweet setup for Mitch as the muscle for a loan shark. Though Mitchell's feeling are mixed. While the perqs that come with the leg breaking are good, he'd just as soon skip another stay at the gray bar hotel. When a job as a live-in handy man for aging ac More...
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Apr 28, 2009
Ed
rated it:
Really interesting and tough main character which is the only reason to read this. This book seems to be a gritty British version of Sunset Boulevard right down to the retired 50ish actress to her butler who'll do anything for her. The characters here really well thought out which makes the mystery kind of a drag. It seems like you can get away with whatever style plotting in a book that would never ever fly in a movie or TV episode. Still, very interesting main character and worth a look on tha
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Feb 10, 2011
Bill
rated it:
Hardback reissue to coincide with release of film. This is Ken Bruen's noirish twist on "Sunset Boulevard". Main character reminds of the protagonist in Bruen's Jack Taylor series.Major liberties appear to have been taken in the film version. The Norma Desmond based character that Kiera Knightley is cast was in her sixties in book. Still film might be good with rest of cast but I doubt as dark and bloody as this.
Apr 07, 2011
Anna
rated it:
Holy sh*t. (I just finished reading it, so excuse me....)
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I loved it.
The language is not sophisticated, I think this's what you call a "short" writing style.
I was really in need of a book where the main character is tough, no kidding around.
The whole book is manly and rough and the ending surprised me very much. I thought I had it figured out but on the last couple of pages everything turned around.
I think I'm going to read this again, soon.
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I loved it.
The language is not sophisticated, I think this's what you call a "short" writing style.
I was really in need of a book where the main character is tough, no kidding around.
The whole book is manly and rough and the ending surprised me very much. I thought I had it figured out but on the last couple of pages everything turned around.
I think I'm going to read this again, soon.
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Jan 03, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
"Sunset Boulevard" transplanted to a seedy contemporary London. What a smooth noir ride: an ex-con finds work as a handyman for an aging actress and tries to avoid ties from his past. The double crosses came when most unexpected. It might be because I had just taken a rather strong painkiller for my injured back, but my first thought upon finishing the book was, jeez, what hit me?
Nov 13, 2009
Djrmel
rated it:
A contemporary noir re-telling of Sunset Boulevard with characters that would have been a perfect fit for Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla. The dialog is perfectly sharp, the violence is brutal and over the top, and the setting is perfectly, grimely London. This is derivative fiction in the hands of a very good writer.
Mar 13, 2010
Papalodge
rated it:
Really enjoyed Mitch, the story teller, stating what he ws thinking, followed by his putting his thought to voice. Briony very naturally given to spasmodic exuberance. Jordan - how cool is he! Billy, who hasn't dealt with his type in high school? Great ending, though you could see it coming, sort of.
Jan 07, 2010
Charisse
rated it:
Wow. This was my first Ken Bruen... terse, sparse, conversational.... violent. Other reviews used the term "noir" and referenced Sunset Boulevard (sorry I haven't seen it) I can't say I loved the story but it certainly made an impression! I believe this will be one I will think think about again.
Dec 17, 2009
LJ
rated it:
3- LONDON BOULEVARD – VG
Ken Bruen – Standalone
When Mitchell is released after spending 3 years in prison for a crime he doesn’t remember committing. Picked up by his friend Billy Norton, he’s offered work by Billy with loan shark Tommy Logan. Trying to stay out of Logan’s way, he becomes general handyman for a faded movie actress with her devoted butler, Jordan. Other people in Mitchell’s life are his disturbed sister, Briony, and new-found love, Aisling.
There More...
Mar 03, 2011
Emily
rated it:
Was really addicted to this book. The action, the comedy and most of all the refreshing narrative makes it stand out against the rest. i challenge any woman not to fall head over heels for Mitchell, and any man to not envy his nonchalent fashion. Usually i'm against novels being made films but i can see how this would be perfect for the big screen, i could see every image in my head when reading.
Apr 19, 2011
Edward
rated it:
Very dark character, but very enjoyable reading. I really like Ken Bruen. His character Jack Taylor in his other series is a also a very dark character but I love to read about him. This is a one off novel and just as good. Easy to read, but very dark with a twist.
Dec 04, 2011
Pam
rated it:
Love Ken Bruen but nobody truly "wins" in these books and you never see it coming. Love his musical one offs...keeps me reading and humming. Payback is vicious and a religion in his books. Not for the squeamish. All Agatha Christir readers - beware.
Mar 19, 2011
Carolyn
rated it:
If your reading taste leans to the dark side of human nature, this is the book for you. The writing is marvelous, and the nod to Sunset Boulevard is intriguing, but these characters are brutal and bent and I wouldn't revisit them.
Feb 05, 2012
Bettie
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Mar 22, 2011
Adam
rated it:
Cool version of a movie I saw long ago. Read it in a few hours so a quick, action packed read. One of those books I could visually imagine every sentence/character/and setting.
Nov 05, 2011
Fleurinka24
rated it: 
This is one of very few cases when I enjoyed the film much more that the book. It might have been because of the bad translation, but this was just... very bad.
Jan 11, 2010
Lynn
rated it:
I like all the music references. Borrowings from Sunset Boulevard are blatant and clearly deliberate but am not sure why. Quite an absorbing read.
Jan 24, 2010
Janelle
rated it:
Interesting prose style and the action moves at a nice clip, nothing unneeded. Unexpected ending, not sure I liked but not disappointing.
Jun 04, 2010
John
rated it:
Nasty, brutish, and short. It's a bit dangerous, as Bruen has a tendency to reference other authors, poets, and musicians.
