The Venus Fly-Trap

by John Wainwright

‘The Venus Fly-Trap’ is one of the classier joints in London, a place with its own kind of feel. No strip club. No clip joint. But one of the top night entertainment spots around. Its entrance is hidden in the heart of Soho; inside it offers smooth luxury at the price of a king’s ransom. Sidney Palmer is a senior waiter at ‘The Venus Fly-Trap’. His son, Eddie, leads a jazz band there called ‘The Opus’. And his daughter comes there nightly as the guest – or mistress – of a hoodlum who is a regular at the club. Sidney Palmer and his family are little men, dancing to the strings pulled by big men. That’s the game they all play. But when there’s murder, the strings get tangled, and a tragedy of revenge results. John Wainwright has written a superbly constructed, gripping and original thriller, once again displaying his powers as a master of crime writing. Book Dust Jacket

188 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

aka Jack Ripley

John William Wainwright was a rear gunner in World War II, after which he spent twenty years as a policeman in Yorkshire. He wrote eighty crime novels between 1965 and 1992, sometimes under the pseudonym 'Jack Ripley'. He also wrote some short stories (mostly uncollected in book format), 7 radio plays, and an indefinite amount of magazine articles and newspaper columns.

Reviews

[Dan Cotter · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first read of Wainwright. What a great read! About London mob and a family. Excellent read. Crisply written and much fun. Will be reading more