A Good Night to Kill - Amen Alonge

 

My review for A Good Day to Die, was minimalist and unconventional by my terms. But it’s just what came into my head after I’d read Amen Alonge’s debut novel. Somehow, it deserved more than the linear type of review I normally write. 

And here it is.

Gut wrenching, pistol packing, hard-hitting, fast acting,

Butt clenching, rifle toting, diamond dangling, crazy driving,

Gangs ganging, money talking, bouncers bouncing, women walking,

 Hearts pumping, legs pounding, heads buzzing, minds fuzzing,

Drug dooming, fear looming, bakers doesn’t, cheesecake slicing,

London’s earning, ears burning, kneecap zapping, cowards flapping, 

Lucas dukas , Yellow bellow, Topper stopper, Sean yawn,

Revenge not sweet,

Pretty Boy no cheat

In the ‘hood and the street,

Is this A Good Day To Die?

I was delighted when Riverrun publicist Ana McLaughlin of Quercus Books sent me a gifted copy of Alonge’s next book A Good Night to Kill. Straight off, as a wordsmith, I loved the wordplay of the two titles. I was hooked from the start. And even though I’ve finished the book, I’m not unhooked yet! So how shall I go about reviewing this one I’ve been asking myself?  Shall I go back to a straightforward plot, narrative, structure, character type of review? Nah!

Brothers bleed, blood flows.

Russians rush, Oleg knows.

Libraries beckons, someone reckons.

Pretty Boy is  back in town.

Meiling’s musing, Michael’s boozing.

Bracelets bouncing, ninjas, trouncing.

Franka’s fierce, Alan Pierce

Stays ahead of the game.

Guns loading, drugs foreboding 

Farrukh fencing, Michael’s menacing

Tyrone, Callum, Priyanka beefing

Pretty Boy is back in town.

Jamal is juice, ain’t no truce.

Lenkov’s rule, Rebecca’s no fool.

Stake outs, shake outs, 

No time for make outs

This is a good night to kill.

I’m sorry. I just couldn’t help myself. 😉

This is a high octane, no punches pulled thriller with plenty of brutality and gangland conflicts. But there is an element of subtle, humour, in spite of the violence. It’s a very compelling and immersive read. I look forward to the next!