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Rat Run
This is a novel at once international and personal --and altogether riveting. Malachy Kitchen is an intelligence officer in Iraq. accused of cowardice, he becomes a recluse in a drug-infested housing project back home. But the mugging of an elderly widow
448 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2005
23 people are currently reading
191 people want to read
About the author
Gerald Seymour
98 books284 followersGerald Seymour (born 25 November 1941 in Guildford, Surrey) is a British writer.
The son of two literary figures, he was educated at Kelly College at Tavistock in Devon and took a BA Hons degree in Modern History at University College London. Initially a journalist, he joined ITN in 1963, covering such topics as the Great Train Robbery, Vietnam, Ireland, the Munich Olympics massacre, Germany's Red Army, Italy's Red Brigades and Palestinian militant groups. His first book, Harry's Game, was published in 1975, and Seymour then became a full-time novelist, living in the West Country. In 1999, he featured in the Oscar-winning television film, One Day in September, which portrayed the Munich Olympics massacre.
Television adaptations have been made of his books Harry's Game, The Glory Boys, The Contract, Red Fox, Field Of Blood, A Line In The Sand and The Waiting Time.
The son of two literary figures, he was educated at Kelly College at Tavistock in Devon and took a BA Hons degree in Modern History at University College London. Initially a journalist, he joined ITN in 1963, covering such topics as the Great Train Robbery, Vietnam, Ireland, the Munich Olympics massacre, Germany's Red Army, Italy's Red Brigades and Palestinian militant groups. His first book, Harry's Game, was published in 1975, and Seymour then became a full-time novelist, living in the West Country. In 1999, he featured in the Oscar-winning television film, One Day in September, which portrayed the Munich Olympics massacre.
Television adaptations have been made of his books Harry's Game, The Glory Boys, The Contract, Red Fox, Field Of Blood, A Line In The Sand and The Waiting Time.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
October 13, 2022
A Master of his craft!
Meticulously researched, and with perfectly formed and engaging characters, the parallel lines of international crime and terrorism converge in a wholly believable and explosive way. Perfect for those who love LeCarre.
Meticulously researched, and with perfectly formed and engaging characters, the parallel lines of international crime and terrorism converge in a wholly believable and explosive way. Perfect for those who love LeCarre.
December 22, 2013
Maybe it's a good book, but I picked up and put down this book many times before finally finishing. I found it ultimately unsatisfying and constantly reading chapters where the identity of the POV character wasn't revealed until the last paragraph was draining, not tension inducing.
December 18, 2018
I used to read all this author's books but stopped when "Rat Run" was originally published. They seemed a bit samey and slow with less of the action of earlier works. I am now back onboard and working through "the missing years". Sometimes you need a break to appreciate something and Seymour's plotting and characterisation are second to none. He is master of the topical thriller.
This book has the customary 'damaged individual seeking redemption', in this case Malachy Kitchen, a former soldier drummed out of Iraq for apparent cowardice. He works his way up a pyramid of drug related crime, from pushers to dealers to suppliers. At the top of the pile is cockney villain Ricky Capel, another memorable entry in this author's rogues' gallery. Albanian gangsters and an Arab terrorist also form an unholy alliance, each vividly sketched with Seymour's deft touch.
Malachy's fall from grace is gradually revealed through flashbacks so the reader ends up with a greater understanding of what happened than our hero. I found his story wholly satisfying, a ray of sunlight amid an otherwise grim tale. The villains are a convincing but ghoulish bunch and the intelligence services the usual Seymour mix of undervalued foot soldiers and self-serving top brass.
I could have lived without the Oskar character (the grouch?), a reclusive German who only touches briefly on the main plot towards the end. He's turned bitter & twisted on learning of his uncle's part in war crimes. I'd be miffed if it turned out any of my uncles were wrong 'uns but doubt it would turn me into an anti-social hermit (no more than I am already, ha ha).
A good book, perhaps more to admire than enjoy. Four stars on the strength of the author's consistency and storytelling. I know I strayed but will never desert you again Gerald.
This book has the customary 'damaged individual seeking redemption', in this case Malachy Kitchen, a former soldier drummed out of Iraq for apparent cowardice. He works his way up a pyramid of drug related crime, from pushers to dealers to suppliers. At the top of the pile is cockney villain Ricky Capel, another memorable entry in this author's rogues' gallery. Albanian gangsters and an Arab terrorist also form an unholy alliance, each vividly sketched with Seymour's deft touch.
Malachy's fall from grace is gradually revealed through flashbacks so the reader ends up with a greater understanding of what happened than our hero. I found his story wholly satisfying, a ray of sunlight amid an otherwise grim tale. The villains are a convincing but ghoulish bunch and the intelligence services the usual Seymour mix of undervalued foot soldiers and self-serving top brass.
I could have lived without the Oskar character (the grouch?), a reclusive German who only touches briefly on the main plot towards the end. He's turned bitter & twisted on learning of his uncle's part in war crimes. I'd be miffed if it turned out any of my uncles were wrong 'uns but doubt it would turn me into an anti-social hermit (no more than I am already, ha ha).
A good book, perhaps more to admire than enjoy. Four stars on the strength of the author's consistency and storytelling. I know I strayed but will never desert you again Gerald.
July 25, 2018
Er zijn schrijvers waarvan ik me, na het lezen van een of meer boeken van hem/haar, afvraag of ik wel meer boeken van deze schrijver wil lezen. Bij het lezen van Gerald Seymours Sluiproute kwam de gedacht ook bij me op.
Sluiproute is een boek dat maar niet op gang wil komen. Het leest als een boemeltrein. En wanneer Seymour er de vaart een beetje in laat komen, vervalt hij een hoofdstuk later weer in hetzelfde trage tempo.
Deze trage hoofdstukken vond ik gedeeltelijk erg saai om te lezen. Mijn aandacht dwaalde soms ook af. Op een paar hoofdstukken na is de spanning in het boek ver te zoeken. Hoewel ik wel moet toegeven dat de tweede helft van het boek wat boeiender is dan de eerste.
Al met al is Sluiproute mij erg tegengevallen. En zal ik ooit een ander boek van Seymour lezen? Ik denk het niet.
Sluiproute is een boek dat maar niet op gang wil komen. Het leest als een boemeltrein. En wanneer Seymour er de vaart een beetje in laat komen, vervalt hij een hoofdstuk later weer in hetzelfde trage tempo.
Deze trage hoofdstukken vond ik gedeeltelijk erg saai om te lezen. Mijn aandacht dwaalde soms ook af. Op een paar hoofdstukken na is de spanning in het boek ver te zoeken. Hoewel ik wel moet toegeven dat de tweede helft van het boek wat boeiender is dan de eerste.
Al met al is Sluiproute mij erg tegengevallen. En zal ik ooit een ander boek van Seymour lezen? Ik denk het niet.
August 1, 2018
Pretty standard Seymour fare - kept me interested until the end. This was my first of his for maybe 15 years, having felt he'd gone off the boil around 2000 - pleased he's still able to keep a well researched story going.
However... SPOILER ... the huge plot hole regarding Rahman's wife's supposed infidelity and subsequent punishment really jarred. In theory the entire Albanian community of Hamburg were searching for a recently arrived drifter who couldn't possibly have been Alicia's lover and yet he still allowed her to be 'flogged", leading to his downfall. Is Seymour too successful to allow for decent editing? A shame.
However... SPOILER ... the huge plot hole regarding Rahman's wife's supposed infidelity and subsequent punishment really jarred. In theory the entire Albanian community of Hamburg were searching for a recently arrived drifter who couldn't possibly have been Alicia's lover and yet he still allowed her to be 'flogged", leading to his downfall. Is Seymour too successful to allow for decent editing? A shame.
September 15, 2025
Gerald Seymour writes a great thriller, and I’ve read many of his books over the years. This one is good, but took me ages to get to grips with all the parallel storylines and characters. Maybe it’s my aging brain, but once I got the hang of them all, they came together in a very satisfying finale.
October 4, 2024
I couldn't do it 91 pages in and it's a did not finish I can't follow it there's too much information too many people and it just doesn't flow, seems to jump around a bit. Even reading 91 pages took more than a week. Hard pass
March 10, 2019
okay story, a lot to read
March 10, 2020
Bored for the first hundred pages.
September 12, 2020
Another superior spy-adventure offering from this superb author.
July 21, 2021
Wow there was a lot going on on and even more mistrust - so much so that I ended up not caring for the characters…
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2022
Worth a read.
April 8, 2025
Gerald Seymour never disappoints. A very gritty story about an ex soldier. Brilliant storyline.
July 30, 2025
Great story with an unlikely hero.
April 5, 2021
This story is has been done many times however the writing is outstanding. This is about a young man who is forced to leave the army who is accused of cowardice. Without support of friends or family he ends up on a council estate which is overrun with drugs. After his elderly neighbour is mugged, he decides to take the drug dealers etc on and gains his self respect in the process. This is a very good book to read if you want a pick me up and explains about the drug pyramid i.e. the pushers, dealers, suppliers etc. This is about a man who won't give up and does not care about procedures, kingpins etc. I have read this book twice and will definitely read it again. Finally you also find out whether the protagonist is actually a coward or not.
May 7, 2016
For awhile there, I thought I'd finally found a Gerald Seymour book I didn't care for.... but I was wrong. Rat Run is, like many of his novels, about terror, spy craft, crime, and so forth, but its real theme is redemption.
Malachy is a poor guy who'd been kicked out of the British army in disgrace for alleged desertion. He's challenged to get his act together by a local cop, and Malachy turns his attention to ridding the slum he lives in of drug dealers. Sounds very action-filled, but it's not. He seems to be living in a sort of fog as he moves up the drug supply chain. In the meantime, a terrorist is making his way to England via Germany and the British SIS is trying to locate him. There's an intersection of these efforts at some point, and it's a dynamite story.
As is typical, Seymour writes from the perspectives of multiple characters. If you haven't read him before, it can be a little challenging. You sometimes aren't aware that the perspective has changed until you're a couple sentences into a new paragraph. However, once you've mastered interpreting his approach, you recognize it's an unique way of telling the story. One risk, though, and it was apparent in this novel, is that he can sometimes 'telegraph' where the plot is heading by bringing in characters that seemingly have no relevance to the action- yet. Eventually, they do.
As usual, the writing is wonderful, the dialogue crisp and believable, and the action very realistic. Seymour writes about troubling modern issues and, like in real life, they can be messy and not wrapped up with a nice bow on at the end. Rat Run is indeed messy, it's not a clean ending, but it's yet another fine piece of work by Gerald Seymour.
Malachy is a poor guy who'd been kicked out of the British army in disgrace for alleged desertion. He's challenged to get his act together by a local cop, and Malachy turns his attention to ridding the slum he lives in of drug dealers. Sounds very action-filled, but it's not. He seems to be living in a sort of fog as he moves up the drug supply chain. In the meantime, a terrorist is making his way to England via Germany and the British SIS is trying to locate him. There's an intersection of these efforts at some point, and it's a dynamite story.
As is typical, Seymour writes from the perspectives of multiple characters. If you haven't read him before, it can be a little challenging. You sometimes aren't aware that the perspective has changed until you're a couple sentences into a new paragraph. However, once you've mastered interpreting his approach, you recognize it's an unique way of telling the story. One risk, though, and it was apparent in this novel, is that he can sometimes 'telegraph' where the plot is heading by bringing in characters that seemingly have no relevance to the action- yet. Eventually, they do.
As usual, the writing is wonderful, the dialogue crisp and believable, and the action very realistic. Seymour writes about troubling modern issues and, like in real life, they can be messy and not wrapped up with a nice bow on at the end. Rat Run is indeed messy, it's not a clean ending, but it's yet another fine piece of work by Gerald Seymour.
February 19, 2015
I enjoyed this, no doubt about that.
It had very many more strands than the blurb on the back would have led you to believe. Yes, one of the central characters is a disgraced ex-soldier seeking redemption by taking on drug dealers on his London sink estate. But there is, as always with Seymour, so much more. I presume this part of the novel was felt to be the most appealing in the eyes of the publisher to the browser at the supermarket, and received the attention of the cover artist and synopsis writer.
Not that you would know it from what you read introducing the book, but the "Rat Run" actually refers to a criminally controlled people trafficking route, which is being deployed by Al Queda to move one of its principal co-ordinators to the UK to unleash a terrorist onslaught.
Attached to these 2 main strands, which reach its inevitable confluence at the end, are an assortment of characters we follow, from a Hamburg crime baron, South East London drug importers, British Secret Service, Al Queda body guards, a German misanthrope on the barren islands off the North Sea coastline. As always the action alternates from these various perspectives, and builds to an inevitably tense conclusion.
Not one of his more superlative efforts, however, I felt. Although the conclusion had the usual compromised resolutions, some I have read literally shake me, and this felt neither fully believable or satisfying. But still recommended.
It had very many more strands than the blurb on the back would have led you to believe. Yes, one of the central characters is a disgraced ex-soldier seeking redemption by taking on drug dealers on his London sink estate. But there is, as always with Seymour, so much more. I presume this part of the novel was felt to be the most appealing in the eyes of the publisher to the browser at the supermarket, and received the attention of the cover artist and synopsis writer.
Not that you would know it from what you read introducing the book, but the "Rat Run" actually refers to a criminally controlled people trafficking route, which is being deployed by Al Queda to move one of its principal co-ordinators to the UK to unleash a terrorist onslaught.
Attached to these 2 main strands, which reach its inevitable confluence at the end, are an assortment of characters we follow, from a Hamburg crime baron, South East London drug importers, British Secret Service, Al Queda body guards, a German misanthrope on the barren islands off the North Sea coastline. As always the action alternates from these various perspectives, and builds to an inevitably tense conclusion.
Not one of his more superlative efforts, however, I felt. Although the conclusion had the usual compromised resolutions, some I have read literally shake me, and this felt neither fully believable or satisfying. But still recommended.
September 28, 2016
Took a while to get into this book, but it was worth it!
It tells of the story of a man's redemption, trial by fire, whatever you might want to call it.
Malachay Kitchen comes back from Iraq a broken, beaten man. He is painted as a coward and his life has sunk so low that he is living among the drop outs and dregs of society.
A social worker takes Mal on as his "special" case and gets him a flat on drug infested housing project. He could have withered there, sunk to new lows and died. But, because of his friendship with his elderly neighbour, he becomes involved in the underbelly of the place he lives. It happens because, Millie,his only friend is hurt by the drug dealers and Mal seeks retribution.
From this first step, he seeks redemption and attempts to regain his self esteem. This takes him into dangerous areas and leads him to the sordid lives of the drug barons and, peripherally, the secret service terrorist campaign.
It is pretty terrifying to read about how terrorist cells are managed; how, an unsuspecting town, village, city, can harbour sleepers, those people who are just waiting for the call to arms, to perpetrate atrocities on the very country and citizens who have taken them in.
Chilling!
It tells of the story of a man's redemption, trial by fire, whatever you might want to call it.
Malachay Kitchen comes back from Iraq a broken, beaten man. He is painted as a coward and his life has sunk so low that he is living among the drop outs and dregs of society.
A social worker takes Mal on as his "special" case and gets him a flat on drug infested housing project. He could have withered there, sunk to new lows and died. But, because of his friendship with his elderly neighbour, he becomes involved in the underbelly of the place he lives. It happens because, Millie,his only friend is hurt by the drug dealers and Mal seeks retribution.
From this first step, he seeks redemption and attempts to regain his self esteem. This takes him into dangerous areas and leads him to the sordid lives of the drug barons and, peripherally, the secret service terrorist campaign.
It is pretty terrifying to read about how terrorist cells are managed; how, an unsuspecting town, village, city, can harbour sleepers, those people who are just waiting for the call to arms, to perpetrate atrocities on the very country and citizens who have taken them in.
Chilling!
May 20, 2011
This is the second Gerald Seymour book that I've read and it won't be the last. Interestingly, I've read both as audiobooks. This book is woven around a quest by Malachy Kitchen who was an intelligence officer in the British army. After apparently running away from action during a fire fight in Afghanistan, Malachy loses his self respect, his career and his wife. Shamed/goaded by the nephew of his elderly neighbor, who had been beaten and robbed by thugs, to do something and thus regain his self respect, Malachy targets a steadily increasing levels of evil. First the thugs, then their supplier are publicly humiliated. In addition to this story line, there are several others involving espionage, organized crime, terrorism and loss of eider duck habitat. The plot isn't surprising, but there are interesting turns along the way. I sat in the car a number of times after listening, so that I could find out what happens next.
November 12, 2013
Very interesting, but didn't keep me in suspense as much as the other two books of his I've read. I do enjoy how he always seems to work birds and marshes into his books, so if you're a birdwatcher I think you'll enjoy his books.
January 30, 2014
Weird story if you ask me and this was my first Gerald Seymour book, I enjoyed it but it took me a while to get into. The beginning wasn't adding up for me it took a few chapters to understand where the story was.
January 25, 2015
Good characterization, nice plot and ultimately I think he's not a bad writer, he just has an unusual style which takes some getting used to.
Too much punctuation with too few adverbs, but fundamentally enjoyable,
Too much punctuation with too few adverbs, but fundamentally enjoyable,
July 10, 2008
Typical Seymour. Which means a very engaging style, well-drawn characters, and a fast-paced plot with plenty of depth.
August 11, 2009
I remember this was quite good, story of disgraced army man who trys to redeem himself by taking on local drug lord.
Read
July 16, 2010One of the great British espionage authors
September 8, 2011
Reasonable story, but slow and with too many parallel story lines. Still managed to enjoy it using some creative skipping ;)
/Martijn
/Martijn
June 20, 2012
An OK read, but not really for me.
November 2, 2012
At the beginning, the quick shifts in point of view were disorienting. You get used to it, though. The story was excellent.
April 29, 2014
Not the best book I have read,perseverance gets you through this book and the story finally merges the characters together and some meaning becomes apparent.would not be a recommendation of mine.
August 5, 2014
God, that killed me. But I finished it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews