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Frank's Wild Years
Frank’s Wild Years - betrayal and last chances at the frayed and fading edges of the south London underworld. IN THE TWILIGHT days between Christmas and New Year, Frank Neaves is about to drink away his last tenner in a Deptford boozer. A former friend and associate of long-dead local villain Dave Price, Frank’s scotch-soaked meditation is interrupted when Carl, Price’s son and the pub’s landlord, disappears leaving an oblique one line note for barmaid, Adeline. Carl has set his heart on bringing his young daughter home for New Year’s Eve. An undertaking that puts him on a collision course with his ex-wife’s new man, a Hull-based hard case called O’Keefe. Desperate to avoid a violent confrontation that Carl can’t win, Adeline persuades Frank to join her. They take a slow train for Humberside. And with the year grinding towards its close, Frank’s former life comes back to haunt him in a way he could never have imagined...
- GenresCrime
216 pages, Paperback
First published March 17, 2012
2 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 23, 2012
Well it'd be crazy not to recommend my own book.
April 7, 2012
Caffeine Nights are rapidly making a name for themselves as a publisher of quality fiction. Triplow's offering is an intelligent and thoughtful character driven novel that I found difficult to put down.
Frank’s Wild Years has a rich tapestry of strongly drawn and evocative characters. The opening scene sees us viewing an old fashioned south London pub and pitying an old drunk, Frank, who chooses to communicate his need for a drink by flicking peanuts at the barmaid.
Triplow soon drags us kicking and screaming into the past and the uncommunicative drunk is soon outed as an intelligent and resourceful character, a former fixer for a local gangster. The dialogue is realistic and interesting. The authors social commentary and insights are at all times smart and often fraught with an emotional depth rarely seen in novels of this genre. Refreshingly the author doesn't always fill in all of the blanks, he allows the reader to draw their own conclusion on a number of occasions. This is a brave and confident step for any writer but the signs are clear and Triplow is a competent guide through Frank's Wild Years.
This is a deftly recounted tale of loyalty, betrayed trust, nostalgia, wasted years, expectations, strong family bonds and Friendship. You'll find yourself as interested in the memories of Frank's past as with the next development in the present. It's quite a slow going novel as the focus on two timelines takes a lot of developing. The impatient reader looking for a quick action fix will find this perhaps not to their taste. However, there's enough going on to keep all but the most fickle of readers engaged with the story.
As intelligent a gangster related novel as you will ever read. I suspect the author worked very hard to make this one come out just the way he wanted it to. The conclusion is a bittersweet fusion of the happy and sad. A perfectly constructed end that will leave the reader with a smile and perhaps a couple of questions. Caffeine Nights once again proving that they know how to pick an author who can tell a hell of a story. Highly recommended.
Frank’s Wild Years has a rich tapestry of strongly drawn and evocative characters. The opening scene sees us viewing an old fashioned south London pub and pitying an old drunk, Frank, who chooses to communicate his need for a drink by flicking peanuts at the barmaid.
Triplow soon drags us kicking and screaming into the past and the uncommunicative drunk is soon outed as an intelligent and resourceful character, a former fixer for a local gangster. The dialogue is realistic and interesting. The authors social commentary and insights are at all times smart and often fraught with an emotional depth rarely seen in novels of this genre. Refreshingly the author doesn't always fill in all of the blanks, he allows the reader to draw their own conclusion on a number of occasions. This is a brave and confident step for any writer but the signs are clear and Triplow is a competent guide through Frank's Wild Years.
This is a deftly recounted tale of loyalty, betrayed trust, nostalgia, wasted years, expectations, strong family bonds and Friendship. You'll find yourself as interested in the memories of Frank's past as with the next development in the present. It's quite a slow going novel as the focus on two timelines takes a lot of developing. The impatient reader looking for a quick action fix will find this perhaps not to their taste. However, there's enough going on to keep all but the most fickle of readers engaged with the story.
As intelligent a gangster related novel as you will ever read. I suspect the author worked very hard to make this one come out just the way he wanted it to. The conclusion is a bittersweet fusion of the happy and sad. A perfectly constructed end that will leave the reader with a smile and perhaps a couple of questions. Caffeine Nights once again proving that they know how to pick an author who can tell a hell of a story. Highly recommended.
September 27, 2013
What a cracking story this is, thoroughly enjoyable. The characters are all excellent with hidden depths and pasts that Triplow cleverly reveals bit by bit as the story progresses with interlinked flashbacks. Frank's Wild Years really sucked me in and I found myself reading until midnight to find out what happens to everyone. The ending is very well done, I'd love to meet Frank again.
October 27, 2024
A great read and a real page turner. South London in all it's glory.
November 3, 2013
A cracking read. The John Evelyn is an old-fashioned south London boozer. Carl doesn’t own it; it owns him. The history cemented into its bricks holds aging Frank captive as he waits out his remaining years nursing a pint; it keeps tarty Adeline serving him drinks and sorting out his IOUs instead of sorting her own life. Nothing is as it seems. Everyone has a line to cross, and handling the consequences is what makes this an outstanding novel of gangster life before Rap.
Nick Triplow controls his use of narrative language with devastating effect, balancing the tight dialogue with deft imagery of smoke-filled casinos or the smell of a damp laundrette. The violence is matter of fact; the bleak weather, the endless travelling, metaphors for the unrelenting grind of a tarnished way of life. Characterisation is in layers, peeled back slowly, as the past and present timelines dovetail to create an emotional portrait of manipulation, betrayal and redemption. The ending is as golden or as bleak as can be read between the lines.
If you like to savour your Crime, this quality slow-burner is highly recommended.
Nick Triplow controls his use of narrative language with devastating effect, balancing the tight dialogue with deft imagery of smoke-filled casinos or the smell of a damp laundrette. The violence is matter of fact; the bleak weather, the endless travelling, metaphors for the unrelenting grind of a tarnished way of life. Characterisation is in layers, peeled back slowly, as the past and present timelines dovetail to create an emotional portrait of manipulation, betrayal and redemption. The ending is as golden or as bleak as can be read between the lines.
If you like to savour your Crime, this quality slow-burner is highly recommended.
October 4, 2013
A bit of a slow starter, but highly enjoyable. A man out of Prison who did time for a man who he thought was his friend. A story about loyalty, life, and loss. I love English, Scottish, and a lot of writers from the U.K. They have excellent style and cracking dialog. It helps to be familiar with British slang to really feel the dialog. I am long time reader of U.K. writers and love books written with a regional slang in the dialog (Irvine Welsh is a favorite and master). The slow start was necessary to really get a feel for who Frank, Adelaide, and Carl were. I enjoyed it tremendously. Recommended reading for all crime lovers.
February 16, 2019
Frank!
It took me a while to get into but once I did it was a terrific read. Frank took a while to understand but came across as the good guy in the end, which he always was! Good and bad characters but all believable, from days gone by. I was narked at the ending but every reader can decide what happened. But whatever it was I hope it was a happy one.
It took me a while to get into but once I did it was a terrific read. Frank took a while to understand but came across as the good guy in the end, which he always was! Good and bad characters but all believable, from days gone by. I was narked at the ending but every reader can decide what happened. But whatever it was I hope it was a happy one.
January 27, 2018
Really enjoyed this book, although not my usual genre. Finished it 3 sessions, once the flashbacks started I couldn't put it down. Well written and would definitely recommend.
August 6, 2018
Enjoyable and hard to put down - especially when the flashbacks start. Made me wish my tube journey was longer.
December 26, 2023
Really enjoyed this. A little bit of Ted Lewis about it
August 30, 2013
Nick Triplow has done an excellent job with this novel. The characters are very realistic and crafted well into the story. At the centre of it though is Frank Neaves, puts all the pieces together, clears up everyones mess and loses it all along the way.
A fascinating story which was a great read
A fascinating story which was a great read
December 29, 2013
Really enjoyed the story, which was very well written, but just didn't find myself caring as much about the characters as I'd have liked. I just didn't warm to them, unfortunately.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews