I must thank Lost Jimmy for putting me onto Mother London by Michael Moorcock. It's on the pile to be read next and, coincidentally, will be my third novel on the bounce set in the capital. I'm currently (re) reading Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Sign Of Four' and before that it was Patrick Hamilton's Midnight Bell; set forty years apart (Doyle late 1890s, Hamilton early 1930s) both portray London warts and all and pull no punches when getting to grips with the city's underclass. Of course Holmes always gets his man, while the outcome for Bob, Hamilton's anti-hero, was far from satisfactory.
I've used this clip before, but cut me some slack, it's Ray Davies.
A good book indeed John, once your ready follow it up with King of the City.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the London 'travels'
Add Bad Penny Blues to your London list if you haven't yet. I caught Cathi Unsworth doing a reading from it last year - completely stilled the room (in a good way). It's based around Jack the Stripper a very real, but never caught, serial killer working early 60s Soho..
ReplyDeleteCathi used to work for Sounds, so expect plenty of bang on musical references too