The Smoke
Creeping Narrative 1
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4.6 • 5 Ratings
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
The Smoke—(Cockney slang for London)— is about a cat burglar and jewel thief, called Jethro, in the austere world of 1947 post-war, black-market-riddled England.
Brought up in and around one of London's famed street markets, Jethro is as smart as he is street wise, which is just as well, as he always needs all of his wits about him to pull off the perfect job and not get caught.
Since the end of the war—having finished service in the Merchant Navy—Jethro has told everybody that he's gone straight and has taken-up as a stagehand around London's many theatres and music halls. (His skill with ropes and pulleys is as easily transferred to going up and down the outside of buildings, as it is to the needs of the theatre fly-floor.) But the truth is, hiding in plain sight in around London's West End is the perfect cover for him to be able to set up his diamond capers in the wealthy areas of Mayfair, Knightsbridge and Belgravia.
None of London's top villains—the true life, Jack Spot and Billy Hill—believe that Jethro has gone straight, and neither does Darby Messima, Soho's fearsome crime-lord. And at some time or another everyone wants him to do just one more little job for them.
And when, after he's burgled the embassy of a certain, un-named Iron Curtain power, and stolen jewels belonging to the ambassador's wife and daughter, Jethro comes to the attention of His Majesty's Secret Service, even they ask him to burgle the place again to retrieve a code book for them. And the trouble is, if he doesn't agree, then things threaten to go very badly indeed, for him, his family and his friends.
But it's all really a set up for a thief to cat ch a thief, that leads to a deadly game of cat and mouse to see who will get to Jethro first: London's gangsters, MI5, or one of the Soviet's most formidable secret agents.
In The Smoke, author Tony Broadbent captures the heartbeat of London and offers up a thrilling first mystery that marks him as a writer to watch; with two sequels.
London (England), Burglars, Conspiracies, Intelligence service, Undercover operations.
Tony Broadbent was born in Windsor, England, and was an art student in London in the late Sixties (from Revolver to Let It Be). He then worked as copywriter and creative director at advertising agencies in London, New York, and San Francisco, before opening his own agency. He's now a consulting brand strategist, planner, and ideator for clients in the U.S. and Europe. Tony is married and lives in Mill Valley, California.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
An evocative and witty style distinguishes Broadbent's first novel, set in austere 1947 London (or "the Smoke," per the glossary of underworld slang that precedes the main text). Chapter One opens with the marvelous sentence: "So there I was lying on the roof, seeing through my ears and taking in the sounds of the night, my face pressed against the damp soot-covered tiles, yellowy-grey wisps of fog folding about me like cast-off mortuary shrouds." An initially slow, overly familiar plot and a rushed climax, however, show that this talented author is not yet master of his craft, while some readers may wish an editor had pruned some of the verbal extravagance. Where Broadbent excels is character, starting with his picaresque and charming rogue of a narrator, Jethro, whose spellbinding exploits as a "creeper" or cat burglar occupy much of the story. After breaking into the Russian embassy and stealing jewels belonging to the ambassador's wife, Jethro finds himself at odds with several gangs of dangerous people, including MI5, who want his services in retrieving a code book from the Soviets. He escapes harm by the intervention of one deus ex machina after another. Almost as engaging as Jethro are those out to give him trouble, especially Robert Browno of Scotland Yard's Flying Squad, an ogre of a DCI; the gangster Messima, aka the "Emperor of Soho"; and Chalkie White, Messima's weasel-like henchman. This strong debut marks Broadbent as definitely an author to watch.
Customer Reviews
The Smoke
Excellent storytelling, it had me from beginning to end; I hated to put it down. A perfect mix of history (actually learned a few things I didn't know about the Smoke), mystery, suspense and a cast of believable interesting characters. I especially enjoyed Jethro's narration and got a kick out of the slang. Well done!
5 Stars. Excellent Storytelling!