Got in the post today from a UK bookmoocher=)

Wow, this was dark, brutal, incessant and intensely grim. And really addictive reading. But not for the feint hearted. It's bizarre, I found it really painful to read at times, particularly the nasty graphic crimes committed here, but such a compelling book to read. David Peace has taken up all the nastiness of the times - the police corruption and brutality, the "let's make lots of money" attitude, the general repression and awful treatment of anyone who wasn't a straight white male (women, children, gay people, ethnic, travellers... they are all treated appallingly). And you may wonder why so much hate and misery can be rolled up into one book. Well, I suppose this is partly the style, we're going for gritty northern noir in the extreme, but also, the 70s weren't PC as times are today, and he's trying to demonstrate this in the most graphically painful way he can.

As well as all that, it's a crime thriller set in 1974, as the title would suggest, following young journalist Edward Dunford who has moved back up north, whose father has just died, and his interest in the new breaking case of a missing little girl leads him down some very nasty roads and more corruption and worthlessnes of the human civilisation than you can shake a stick at.

I remember watching the tv films they did of these books and feeling utterley baffled after the first one. I feel like this was easier to follow and has tied itself up nicely. I'm trying to remember how they all tie in, because they do if I remember rightly. Will have to watch it again, as well as read the other three books.