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He Died with His Eyes Open
Factory 1
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Check link for latest rating. ( 2,638 ratings, 315 reviews)
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He Died with His Eyes Open
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
He Died with His Eyes Open is ideal for fans of British noir, hardboiled detective fiction, and those interested in gritty urban crime dramas exploring the darker aspects of society.
When a middle-aged alcoholic is found brutally battered to death on a roadside in West London, the case is assigned to a nameless detective sergeant, a tough-talking cynic and fearless loner from the Department of Unexplained Deaths at the Factory police station.
The first novel in Derek Raymond's Factory detective crime series
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
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Description
When a middle-aged alcoholic is found brutally battered to death on a roadside in West London, the case is assigned to a nameless detective sergeant, a tough-talking cynic and fearless loner from the Department of Unexplained Deaths at the Factory police station.
Working from cassette tapes left behind in the dead man's property, our narrator must piece together the history of his blighted existence and discover the agents of its cruel end. What he doesn't expect is that digging for the truth will demand plenty of lying, and that the most terrible of villains will also prove to be the most attractive.
In the first of six police procedurals that comprise the Factory series, Derek Raymond spins a riveting, and vividly human crime drama. Relentlessly pursuing justice for the dispossessed, his detective narrator treads where few others dare: in the darkest corners of London, a city of sin plagued by unemployment, racism and vice. The novel is peopled by a cast of low-lifes, all utterly convincing and brought to life by Raymond's pitch-perfect dialogue.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Evening Standard praises it as "a crackerjack of a crime novel, unafraid to face the reality of man’s and woman’s evil." The Observer notes its mix of "thin-lipped Chandleresque backchat" with "idioms more icily subversive." Marcel Berlins of The Times calls it "uniformly sinister" with a unique emotional truth, while Time Out highlights Cook's prose for anticipating writers like James Ellroy and David Peace, capturing "how nasty Britain actually is." The Big Issue describes it as "witty, perceptive and well written."
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781852427962
Publisher: Profile Books Ltd
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 14 September 2006
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Serpent's Tail
Edition: Main
Contributors:
- Introduction by James Sallis
- Introduction by James Sallis
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 18.0mm
Width: 128.0mm
Height: 196.0mm
Weight: 167g
Pages: 224
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About the Author
Derek Raymond was born Robin Cook in 1931. The son of a textile magnate, he dropped out of Eton aged sixteen and spent much of his early career among criminals. The Factory series followed his early novels, The Crust on Its Uppers and A State of Denmark. His literary memoir The Hidden Files was published in 1992. He died in London in 1994.
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