Reviewed by: Keith Nixon
Genre: Noir / Crime / Thriller
Approximate word count: 60-65,000 words
Availability
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Author:
Joe Clifford is acquisitions editor for Gutter Books and managing
editor of The Flash Fiction Offensive.
He is the author of three books.
You can learn more about
the author at his website.
Description:
Colin
Specter is about to be a teen sensation. He’s just signed a record deal which
will see him climb the dizzying heights of fame. However he’s framed by the
Christos family for a drugs deal and winds up in prison, in the process
mutilated, loses his voice and his girl, Zooey.
Fast
forward seven years and Specter is getting out of jail and he’s looking to even
the score.
Appraisal:
Wake The Undertaker is
Clifford’s debut novel. I find that really hard to believe because this is a
really well written, hugely compelling story which I struggled to put down and
feels like it’s been generated by someone with years of experience under their
belt.
When Specter goes into jail
he’s a lightweight, when he emerges he’s a different man. Literally toughened
and hardened. He’s quickly drawn into what appears to be a gang war within the
Christos family. The father (the Old Man) appears to be legitimising himself,
now a philanthropist rather than drug supplier, and he’s running for mayor. The
son, Gabriel, who was present when Specter was set up, is a mess and spiralling
out of control.
There are two aspects that
make this book so interesting. First, it’s not a simple case of revenge. For a
reason Specter can’t explain to himself he starts to help his tormentor,
Gabriel, against the Old Man and we follow him during the journey, as he learns
to be someone else. He unravels a mystery whilst fighting for survival and
rediscovering himself in the outside world where he’s no longer what he was.
Throw in love interest Zooey, who’s also tied up with the Christos’ and it’s a
non-stop rollercoaster in the underbelly of Bay City.
Second is Clifford’s voice.
The prose and the descriptions used are a really rich tapestry against which
the story unfolds. For example Specter has just left jail and is inspecting his
new digs:
I took a look at my new home. Nursery blue
wallpaper, rotting yellow and brown like lifelong tobacco stains, curling
around the edges and peppered with graffiti. A bureau minus three drawers,
infested with bugs and butane scars. Carpet worn out in fat swathes. Blood
speckles on the ceiling. A sink for a toilet. Places like the Alkan don’t have
in-room bathrooms. The can is down the hall and usually plugged by some junkie.
So you piss in the sink.
Terse and to the point,
which is how I like it. Excellent book, excellent writing. I’d love to say
more, but I don’t think I can do Wake The
Undertaker proper justice.
Format/Typo Issues:
None.
Rating: ***** Five Stars
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