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Cal Innes #4
Beast of Burden
In his short career as Manchester’s most indestructible private eye, Callum Innes has been run over by a car, beaten within an inch of his life, shot in the ear, left for dead on a desert roadside, and halfway blown up by a car bomb.
Now, mourning the death of his addict brother, walking with a cane, and barely able to speak following a massive drug-related stroke, Cal is a wreck. Enter Manchester ganglord Morris Tiernan to make his life even worse. Tiernan’s ne’er-do-well son Mo has gone missing, and Cal Innes is the only person the distraught gangster trusts enough to conduct the search. There’s nobody Cal would like to find less, but you don’t say no to Uncle Morris. And it turns out that Innes is not the only one working the case — the corrupt and parasitic Detective Sergeant “Donkey” Donkin has a vested interest in the fate of the Tiernans, as well as a long-standing grudge against the intrepid private eye.
In this fourth and final installment of the Cal Innes series, our hero gives up acting as a pawn in Manchester’s underworld disputes. He has his own burdens to bear and scores to settle — with the Tiernan family, with Sergeant Donkin, and with the darkness in his own past.
Now, mourning the death of his addict brother, walking with a cane, and barely able to speak following a massive drug-related stroke, Cal is a wreck. Enter Manchester ganglord Morris Tiernan to make his life even worse. Tiernan’s ne’er-do-well son Mo has gone missing, and Cal Innes is the only person the distraught gangster trusts enough to conduct the search. There’s nobody Cal would like to find less, but you don’t say no to Uncle Morris. And it turns out that Innes is not the only one working the case — the corrupt and parasitic Detective Sergeant “Donkey” Donkin has a vested interest in the fate of the Tiernans, as well as a long-standing grudge against the intrepid private eye.
In this fourth and final installment of the Cal Innes series, our hero gives up acting as a pawn in Manchester’s underworld disputes. He has his own burdens to bear and scores to settle — with the Tiernan family, with Sergeant Donkin, and with the darkness in his own past.
295 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 19, 2011
Justice is almost done.
I didn’t expect to like this though I’m not sure why. There’s not a redeemable character in this lot yet I found their lives darkly compelling. I read on wondering who would come out on top; either the dirty and/or inept cops or the non-repentant criminals who’ve just left jail (and are probably headed straight back). This is a very British novel. It’s set in Manchester and I can only assume all the slang I didn’t understand hails from her rough streets. That might put some readers off but the language was wonderfully inventive. For all I know Banks made it up himself. Of course I don’t have much street cred on the Los Angeles streets right outside my window so I’m not a good judge.
The main character is Callum Innes who’s a recovering drug addict just out of prison and trying to get back on his feet. No easy task since he’s had a stroke that left the right side of his body damaged. Speaking and walking are difficult. He’s also feeling grief over his brother’s recent fatal drug overdose. Cal’s trying to make a go of it by working as a private eye. One night at a bar Morris Tiernan wrangles Cal into finding his missing son and he’s willing to pay big bucks. This might sound like a good thing but Tiernan and his family are Cal’s nemeses. Bottom line is Cal has no choice in the matter. Tiernan is too powerful in their milieu so Cal agrees and decides to run his investigation in his own unique way. This is the first Banks novel I’ve read and it’s the fourth in a series. It’s a complete novel in itself though. I didn’t feel lost concerning events from the other books.
3.5/5
I didn’t expect to like this though I’m not sure why. There’s not a redeemable character in this lot yet I found their lives darkly compelling. I read on wondering who would come out on top; either the dirty and/or inept cops or the non-repentant criminals who’ve just left jail (and are probably headed straight back). This is a very British novel. It’s set in Manchester and I can only assume all the slang I didn’t understand hails from her rough streets. That might put some readers off but the language was wonderfully inventive. For all I know Banks made it up himself. Of course I don’t have much street cred on the Los Angeles streets right outside my window so I’m not a good judge.
The main character is Callum Innes who’s a recovering drug addict just out of prison and trying to get back on his feet. No easy task since he’s had a stroke that left the right side of his body damaged. Speaking and walking are difficult. He’s also feeling grief over his brother’s recent fatal drug overdose. Cal’s trying to make a go of it by working as a private eye. One night at a bar Morris Tiernan wrangles Cal into finding his missing son and he’s willing to pay big bucks. This might sound like a good thing but Tiernan and his family are Cal’s nemeses. Bottom line is Cal has no choice in the matter. Tiernan is too powerful in their milieu so Cal agrees and decides to run his investigation in his own unique way. This is the first Banks novel I’ve read and it’s the fourth in a series. It’s a complete novel in itself though. I didn’t feel lost concerning events from the other books.
3.5/5
October 11, 2011
BEAST OF BURDEN
By
Ray Banks
Review
Wow. A world like the one I existed in when I was in my salad criminal days and which I’m pretty sure still exists intact. Where the cops have no morals and the outlaws do. I frickin’ loved this novel! And, I loved/hated the ending! I won’t spoil it here, but man! All I’ll say is that it fits perfectly Flannery O’Connor’s definition of a perfect ending—that it completely surprise and come clear out of left field, but that upon reflection it be the only possible ending. (That’s badly paraphrased, but I hope you get what I mean.)
Banks is just one of the best writers writing today. Period. I can’t think of another book that so clearly reveals the real relationships between lawdogs and outlaws than Beast of Burden does. Banks understands. Understands both criminals and cops and understands them perfectly. Never have I read an account of this world that is this true.
This isn’t so much a review than it is a collection of scattered thoughts. For instance, I identified immediately with Cal Innes. He’s a character not only unlike any I’ve ever encountered in fiction—he’s also a character I related to with a kind of weird reason. Not only is he a criminal like I was for a long time, but he’s also suffered a stroke. That was eerie as I suffered a series of ten mini-strokes (TIAs) a couple of years ago. Not only that, but like myself, he keeps on smoking. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him during the entire novel. Who writes characters like this? No one but Ray Banks could and carry it off. This just felt like my story, not simply because of the physical condition of Innes, but more in the way he sees the world and his place in it. And the cop, Donkin (the Donkey, as he’s called derisively, by his enemies on both sides of the law and there are many), is like the best cops I’ve ever known. He’s driven by his own terrible moral code which is much the same as is his chief foe, Innes. For those of us who’ve been career criminals, there is always a nemesis like Donkin. A guy you hate and a guy you love, but above all, a guy you respect. He’s no pussy.
Above all, this is a moral novel. Not in the traditional Judeo-Christian sense (although that’s part of it), but in the same sense as Borges’ novels are. Or Camus’ or any of the best existential writers. In other words, this is as far from Disney as one can get. I feel very inadequate to describe this novel accurately and all I can say is this: You’ve got to read it. It’s a clash of titans and it’s one of those few books that has already become a part of me and one that I’ll always remember. It was overwhelming.
I’m so thankful for intelligent writers and intelligent books!
By
Ray Banks
Review
Wow. A world like the one I existed in when I was in my salad criminal days and which I’m pretty sure still exists intact. Where the cops have no morals and the outlaws do. I frickin’ loved this novel! And, I loved/hated the ending! I won’t spoil it here, but man! All I’ll say is that it fits perfectly Flannery O’Connor’s definition of a perfect ending—that it completely surprise and come clear out of left field, but that upon reflection it be the only possible ending. (That’s badly paraphrased, but I hope you get what I mean.)
Banks is just one of the best writers writing today. Period. I can’t think of another book that so clearly reveals the real relationships between lawdogs and outlaws than Beast of Burden does. Banks understands. Understands both criminals and cops and understands them perfectly. Never have I read an account of this world that is this true.
This isn’t so much a review than it is a collection of scattered thoughts. For instance, I identified immediately with Cal Innes. He’s a character not only unlike any I’ve ever encountered in fiction—he’s also a character I related to with a kind of weird reason. Not only is he a criminal like I was for a long time, but he’s also suffered a stroke. That was eerie as I suffered a series of ten mini-strokes (TIAs) a couple of years ago. Not only that, but like myself, he keeps on smoking. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him during the entire novel. Who writes characters like this? No one but Ray Banks could and carry it off. This just felt like my story, not simply because of the physical condition of Innes, but more in the way he sees the world and his place in it. And the cop, Donkin (the Donkey, as he’s called derisively, by his enemies on both sides of the law and there are many), is like the best cops I’ve ever known. He’s driven by his own terrible moral code which is much the same as is his chief foe, Innes. For those of us who’ve been career criminals, there is always a nemesis like Donkin. A guy you hate and a guy you love, but above all, a guy you respect. He’s no pussy.
Above all, this is a moral novel. Not in the traditional Judeo-Christian sense (although that’s part of it), but in the same sense as Borges’ novels are. Or Camus’ or any of the best existential writers. In other words, this is as far from Disney as one can get. I feel very inadequate to describe this novel accurately and all I can say is this: You’ve got to read it. It’s a clash of titans and it’s one of those few books that has already become a part of me and one that I’ll always remember. It was overwhelming.
I’m so thankful for intelligent writers and intelligent books!
August 17, 2011
If you're looking for a hard-boiled detective noir with roguish dialect, Beast of Burden by Ray Banks is a great choice. It's got chain-smoking, cuss-using offenders and questionable coppers tripping over each other in an effort to find out who killed a king pin's son. Some try harder than others, but all have their reasons for injecting themselves into the investigation. The characters are gritty, exposed and although they are tough guys, all are completely vulnerable at varying points in the story which gives this noir a real-life feeling that will appeal to the common man or woman. What I found most impressive about the story was Banks use of dialect. The authentic speech and dialogue were unabated and uncensored. Banks has crafted a perfect example of how speech is specific to area. Nothing is proper about it, but that is not to say the author doesn't know the difference. In fact, he is acutely aware and knows just how to utilize conversation to deepen characters, strengthen plot and intensity. By doing so, it makes for more than just a hard-boiled noir, expanding it into a literary critique of how dialogue expresses class, stereotypes, setting, economic gap and cultural structure. Thematically, questions loyalty, revenge, family and justice. Heavy on the language and violence, but little sexual content.
February 8, 2011
Ray Banks is some kinda guy. I'd never read any of his books before, and if they are anything like this, prepare yourselves. Living on "the wrong side of town" doesn't come close to covering it. The police investigator, Donkin, is hapless--mentally out-manned by the criminals he seeks and by his colleagues, he resorts to lashing out in frustration at anyone within reach. He strives to reform, to control his fear and anger, and only succeeds in bottling it up to explode in rage again when events outstrip his understanding. It's when he sits outside a stakeout and reminds himself "got to be smart about this" that our hearts start to bleed.
This is the fourth book in the Cal Innes series, and lots of history has passed between Donkin and Innes before now. Each man has been bloodied--damaged, if you will--by contact with the other, and yet they will have just one more dance. How does one make a petty criminal and a corrupt policeman, both of whom are always looking for the main chance, into characters whose motivations we recognize and, if not respect, at least acknowledge to be true? The language is crusty, the neighborhoods rough, and the people distrusting. And it is a real breath of fresh air.
This is the fourth book in the Cal Innes series, and lots of history has passed between Donkin and Innes before now. Each man has been bloodied--damaged, if you will--by contact with the other, and yet they will have just one more dance. How does one make a petty criminal and a corrupt policeman, both of whom are always looking for the main chance, into characters whose motivations we recognize and, if not respect, at least acknowledge to be true? The language is crusty, the neighborhoods rough, and the people distrusting. And it is a real breath of fresh air.
June 7, 2013
Mo Tiernan is missing.
This one simple fact kicks off Beast of Burden, the fourth book in Ray Banks's Cal Innes series. Through the course of the previous three novels, Innes has been beat up, blown up, lost part of an ear, developed a painkiller addiction, and had a stroke. Burden opens with him picking up an application for a barista job; one of the few jobs left someone who's "half mong" can do to support himself. So when local gangster "Uncle" Morris Tiernan says Innes is the only one he trusts to find his wayward son, Innes throws himself into the job. Naturally, Innes finds Mo dead, but that only propels him further into the case.
It's enjoyable to watch Innes in full-blown private eye mode again. He was so good at it, and Banks writes these stories so well.
As it is the fourth and final book in the Innes series, it serves as a natural bookend with Saturday's Child. In fact, there are more than a few callbacks to the earlier book. Not only are Mo and Morris back, but so are Mo's associates Baz and Rossie, an increased role for Cal's friend Paulo, and several run-ins with Mo's half-sister Alison (who disappeared with the croupier Cal was hired to find in Child). Banks even does the parallel narrator trick he did in Child, this time bouncing between Innes and DS Donkin, a cop with a sour disposition and a vendetta against Innes.
The only quibble I have is I couldn't figure out who killed Mo. The killer's reveal was breathtakingly perfect and made complete sense within the landscape of the series. My eyes went wide when I read the line. But I don't remember any hints being dropped that would lead the reader to that conclusion. That being said, it didn't detract at all from my enjoyment of this novel.
Beast of Burden is a noir masterpiece, the perfect conclusion to Banks's Innes series.
Read the whole series from the beginning.
Highly recommended.
This one simple fact kicks off Beast of Burden, the fourth book in Ray Banks's Cal Innes series. Through the course of the previous three novels, Innes has been beat up, blown up, lost part of an ear, developed a painkiller addiction, and had a stroke. Burden opens with him picking up an application for a barista job; one of the few jobs left someone who's "half mong" can do to support himself. So when local gangster "Uncle" Morris Tiernan says Innes is the only one he trusts to find his wayward son, Innes throws himself into the job. Naturally, Innes finds Mo dead, but that only propels him further into the case.
It's enjoyable to watch Innes in full-blown private eye mode again. He was so good at it, and Banks writes these stories so well.
As it is the fourth and final book in the Innes series, it serves as a natural bookend with Saturday's Child. In fact, there are more than a few callbacks to the earlier book. Not only are Mo and Morris back, but so are Mo's associates Baz and Rossie, an increased role for Cal's friend Paulo, and several run-ins with Mo's half-sister Alison (who disappeared with the croupier Cal was hired to find in Child). Banks even does the parallel narrator trick he did in Child, this time bouncing between Innes and DS Donkin, a cop with a sour disposition and a vendetta against Innes.
The only quibble I have is I couldn't figure out who killed Mo. The killer's reveal was breathtakingly perfect and made complete sense within the landscape of the series. My eyes went wide when I read the line. But I don't remember any hints being dropped that would lead the reader to that conclusion. That being said, it didn't detract at all from my enjoyment of this novel.
Beast of Burden is a noir masterpiece, the perfect conclusion to Banks's Innes series.
Read the whole series from the beginning.
Highly recommended.
May 2, 2011
Callum Innes is not your typical PI – a self proclaimed ‘mong’ after falling victim to a stroke, all the exterior hardness is seemingly replaced with venerability, a threat he poses no more - right to assume on face value, wrong in practicality. Innes is still one mean mofo and in ‘Beast of Burden’ we see a resilience and hardness like no other given his circumstances. Sought by mob boss Morris Tiernan to locate his estranged son, Callum is once again thrown into the brutal and violent world he’s grown so accustomed to where friends aren’t what they seem, trust is little more than a word, and drugs the currency of the damned.
Delivered from two POV’s (Callum and crooked cop Donkin), Banks captures both sides of the equation masterfully in that the reader experiences Innes’ frustration of his physical incapability, and the hopelessness that surrounds life’s crash course cop Donkin from workplace segregation, budding alcoholism, and nihilistic outlook. ‘Beast of Burden; is probably Banks’ darkest novel yet and most shocking with a certain turn of events sure to leave readers gasping – 3.5 Stars.
Delivered from two POV’s (Callum and crooked cop Donkin), Banks captures both sides of the equation masterfully in that the reader experiences Innes’ frustration of his physical incapability, and the hopelessness that surrounds life’s crash course cop Donkin from workplace segregation, budding alcoholism, and nihilistic outlook. ‘Beast of Burden; is probably Banks’ darkest novel yet and most shocking with a certain turn of events sure to leave readers gasping – 3.5 Stars.
September 15, 2011
P.I. Cal Innes is a mess. A drug induced massive stroke has caused him to be barely able to function: he walks with a cane, one leg dragging, he has trouble speaking. He's also mourning the death of his brother, a drug overdose suicide.
But he has a job to do.
Crime lord Morris Tiernan wants Cal to find his son. Which is funny. The Tiernan family is responsible for Cal's ills, from his brother's death, to his stroke, to his prison sentence.
Also on the case is another one not real friendly: Detective Sergeant "Donkey" Donkins, a slightly bent cop with a quick temper, a man who wants nothing more than to pin something on Cal.
The story is told in the first person, with alternating, labeled chapters from Cal and Donkins' point of view. It was a bit disconcerting at first, but sorted out quickly in my mind and got down to telling a damn good story.
Cal is pursuing his own agenda, as regards to ills against the Tiernans, as he looks for and finds Mo Tiernan. To Late.
I thoroughly enjoyed this slice of British writing and dealing with all the slang was easy to pick up.
Worth a look.
But he has a job to do.
Crime lord Morris Tiernan wants Cal to find his son. Which is funny. The Tiernan family is responsible for Cal's ills, from his brother's death, to his stroke, to his prison sentence.
Also on the case is another one not real friendly: Detective Sergeant "Donkey" Donkins, a slightly bent cop with a quick temper, a man who wants nothing more than to pin something on Cal.
The story is told in the first person, with alternating, labeled chapters from Cal and Donkins' point of view. It was a bit disconcerting at first, but sorted out quickly in my mind and got down to telling a damn good story.
Cal is pursuing his own agenda, as regards to ills against the Tiernans, as he looks for and finds Mo Tiernan. To Late.
I thoroughly enjoyed this slice of British writing and dealing with all the slang was easy to pick up.
Worth a look.
September 19, 2011
To get the full impact of the dystopia that is Ray Banks' Manchester, one really should start with the first in the series, Saturdays' Child. This book, the fourth in the series, starts with Callum Innes still trying to put his life back together. His brother has killed himself. Callum is recovering from a stroke and trying to get his life back. Or to get revenge on the ones who have caused his misery - Morris Tiernan, the powerful crime boss, and Sgt. Iain Donkins, the thuggish cop who dogs him like Javert, only with less class.
The story is told alternately by Innes and Donkins, and voices are harsh, true, and wrenching. The crime boss is pitiless, but he has, not a soft spot, but something almost like it, for his rotten kids. The cop is brutal, but has occasional flashes of self awareness and even a conscience that are both startling and moving. Cal is trying to cope with his physical limitations, do his job, and pay back both Tiernan and Donkins. Of course it doesn't end well.
It's a powerful book, the language is wonderful.
The story is told alternately by Innes and Donkins, and voices are harsh, true, and wrenching. The crime boss is pitiless, but he has, not a soft spot, but something almost like it, for his rotten kids. The cop is brutal, but has occasional flashes of self awareness and even a conscience that are both startling and moving. Cal is trying to cope with his physical limitations, do his job, and pay back both Tiernan and Donkins. Of course it doesn't end well.
It's a powerful book, the language is wonderful.
January 26, 2015
The Cal Innes series is really one book. It is incomplete in any other context. Fortunately, Mr. Banks assembled an Omnibus Edition, which is what I recommend to anyone who remotely enjoys Saturday's Child.
Some readers have disliked the intemperate language, or the violence, or the vernacular, or the shifting points of view…. Hmmm….I suppose each of those criticisms is legitimate, but that also makes for a very textured weave to the plot. Personally, I enjoyed it and found it no different than some novels that we might call "literature".
I sit here after finishing Beast of Burden last night and say: "I should have seen this coming." But I didn't. Perhaps that's the American myth that I'm bred to. The end was a surprise but only in that I thought the author would resolve the plot dilemmas in another fashion. He didn't. And perhaps for an American audience, that takes some adjustment. It certainly did for me.
Johnny Shaw recommended Ray's work and I now understand why.
A great story arc.
Some readers have disliked the intemperate language, or the violence, or the vernacular, or the shifting points of view…. Hmmm….I suppose each of those criticisms is legitimate, but that also makes for a very textured weave to the plot. Personally, I enjoyed it and found it no different than some novels that we might call "literature".
I sit here after finishing Beast of Burden last night and say: "I should have seen this coming." But I didn't. Perhaps that's the American myth that I'm bred to. The end was a surprise but only in that I thought the author would resolve the plot dilemmas in another fashion. He didn't. And perhaps for an American audience, that takes some adjustment. It certainly did for me.
Johnny Shaw recommended Ray's work and I now understand why.
A great story arc.
April 27, 2014
Beast Of Burden is the final novel in the Cal Innes quartet. When his brother commits suicide Cal is distraught, then local gangster Morris Tiernan hires him to find his missing son Mo. But after events in the previous books Cal is a wreck, a stroke victim and humiliated. DS Iain Donkin is also back to hound and antagonise Innes. As the bleak story unfolds from twin points of view – Innes and Donkin, we see a fuller picture of their lives. Both men seemingly locked in self destructive spirals. With Donkin on one side and Tiernan on the other can Innes survive long enough to discover the truth of Mo’s disappearance? Beast Of Burden is packed full of seemingly effortless dialogue that rattles off the page like firecrackers. The novel is a powerful and emotional end to the series and a truly classic Brit Grit novel from the author Ray Banks.
August 4, 2012
Liked at first, had similar dialect and rotten attitude (in a good way) of Trainspotting. But rotten characters (one character, the rotten cop) wore on me. Don't want to live too closely with people whom I abhor, at some point I'd just as soon start a different book. Apparently there are other books in the series which might have improved my compassion for these people - but no, I doubt I'd have got through all of them, just barely managed to finish this one. Pretty good writing.
January 3, 2016
Was not clever to read this first, the fourth in the series, but Ray Banks has been on my list for a while and when I spotted it in the library I grabbed it. Callum Innes a truly fucked up character here, but I want to know more so shall look out for the early ones, but delay reading so as to try and forget this one.
Tense plotting and tight dialogue, depiction of a truly dirty world, all exceedingly well-writ .
Tense plotting and tight dialogue, depiction of a truly dirty world, all exceedingly well-writ .
June 6, 2012
Sad. Relentlessly sad. But so visceral as to be one of the most satisfying reads I've had in a long time (probably also helped by the fact that it's the end of a tetralogy). Things don't end how you want but even wanting it is futile, and I knew that, unavoidably, as I was reading it. Holds up to Saturday's Child in a way I didn't feel from the previous two.
Read
March 27, 2012Just couldn't get into this book. The quoted dialect was so thick that I just couldn't get past it. I felt like I was slogging through quicksand to get to something that would make me want to keep going, and it didn't happen.
January 24, 2013
Amazing how this one brought all of the other books together. The best book of the 4 . They should all be regarded as different chapters in the one big story though. This was the bleakest tragic one of them all . ray Banks doesn't do happy endings ( thank fuck!)
June 8, 2015
Tremendous finale to the Cal Innes Series.
January 15, 2012
New character, new author. Book catches you at the beginning. My kind of book.
August 31, 2015
I'm sad to finish this quartet of books but looking forward to reading more from Banks.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews