Customer Reviews
Saved my holiday - By: Brian Flannery, 07 Jul 2006 
Cold Fire, Calm Rage is a crime/revenge drama about an ex boxer who had flirted with the underworldin the past & now considered himself well out of it only to find himself dragged right back into the murky world of organised crimein London & all the implications it brings to his life & those he cares about. The drama is set against a realsistic picture of London life that anyone who lives or has livedin London will recognise, not just from the places but from the descriptions of Garron's Camden flat & his flatmates - most people's experience of London will have found themin a similar set up.
The drama is fast paced, & some of the characters may be described as stereotypical criminal types - but Guy Ritchie this isn't. There is a lot more substance
in this tale & the author gives every character a lot more depth than you might expect from a typical book of this genre.
Allin all, it was a much appreciated tip from a friend that brought this book to my attention & into my suitcase for my summer holiday. And I'm glad it did.
Pacey and involving..... - By: Gary Bluston, 05 Jul 2004 Although the setting of this novel isin the crime genre & the story is a (not entirely) straightforward working of the old Hitchcock McGuffin trick, the odd thing about Cold Fire, Calm Rage is that it is almost not a thriller. The nearly claustrophobic way that the author keeps you with the main character & the slow realisation that the character himself is unsure as to what his own motives are for his actions, sets it apart from the usual run of the mill shoot 'em up, knock 'em down thrillers of today. The words 'London thriller' conjure up the post 'Lock, Stock' images of British crime lords & whilst the action of this book touches those areas, the depth of character is far stronger. Yes there are some stereotypes, but they are portrayed as real people, rather than cardboard cut-outs & so add colour to, instead of diminishing, the ambience of the book.
A darn good read - By: Jean Goldman, 28 Jun 2004 Chandler? Noirin 2004? Well, actually, yes. Improbable though it seems, this story does manage to pull off that most difficult of tricks - reinventing a tired old format & whilst it doesn't exactly feel fresh, it has enough realityin it that you feel the author knows exactly what he is talking about. The characters are indeed "types", the ex-boxer, the fence, the gun dealer, the heavies, but possibly because of the first person narrrative, they are not described, but interacted with by the main protagonist & that gives them depth, rather than just outline. The detail is impressive, the cynicism (a good old-fashioned noir staple) is not overdone, & is seen as downbeat realism, rather than attitude for the sake of attitude; & the central character is strong enough to carry it all off. The ending, too, hits, just the right note. Not Chandler maybe, but definitely UK noir.
