Black Out

By John Lawton

Book Overview

In the tradition of John le Carr , Eric Ambler, and more recently, Joseph Kanon, Black Out is a stunning wartime thriller. As the Luftwaffe makes its last, desperate assaults on the battered city, Londoners take to the underground shelters amidst the black out. Detective-Sergeant Troy starts with the clue of a neatly dismembered corpse leading him into a world of stateless refugees, military intelligence, and corruption all the way to the top of Allied High Command.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0142002763
• ISBN13: 9780142002766
• Release Date: December 2002
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 392 Pages
• Weight: 0.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.2" x 6.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Great thriller

I originally bought this book for my dad - he served as a GI in London from 1943-46 and is a real history buff. He was crazy about it, said it's the most convincing depiction of the place and the time he's ever read. So I pointed out the 'big mistake' over the WAC, and he said it was dumb but minor, after all Lawton had the clothes, the music, the food all right - even had the name of the head waiter at a London night club right, and that was amazing - how does anyone dig up stuff like that? So, atmospheric? sure, detailed? sure, but it's also a classy thriller, a plot that just rips along. So I read it too, and more than that I read the two sequels and the good news is they get better and better. This guy is good. They don't come much better. B Clark, Carthage.

Excellent stuff!!

Lawton elegantly captures the essence of War time London and uses it as a backdrop to a solid thriller. The story itself is unspectacular, nowhere near as complex as a Robert Harris tale, but Lawton effortlessly brings the reader into the world of war time depravation. An extremely well written book and very enjoyable.

On My All-Time Great List

The Booklist review excerpt is right on. If you love dark (but wryly humorous), tightly written, historical thrillers, this is for you. I can't imagine why this didn't make a much bigger splash in the US. The story and writing are absolute top rank. It is no exaggeration to compare John Lawton's writing skill to John Le Carre's.