The Syndicate

by Guy Bolton

Overview

THE HOTLY ANTICIPATED NEW THRILLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE PICTURES – SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA NEW BLOOD AWARD.

June 1947.

Jonathan Craine has left his old life in Hollywood behind him. But when notorious gangster Bugsy Siegel is murdered, Craine is summoned back to Las Vegas to find his killer. All he has helping him is a lone crime reporter with her own agenda.

He only has five days. Or there will be fatal consequences for Craine and his son.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781786074317
Publisher:	Oneworld Publications
Publication date:	02/07/2019
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Guy Bolton lives in London and has worked in publishing, film and television. Guy is also a screenwriter whose work has been optioned by Bedlam Productions, Hat Trick and Tiger Aspect. He is the author of The Pictures. Last year it was short-listed in the Telegraph Harvill Secker crime writing competition and the CWA New Blood Award.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Bolton is a fine writer. THE SYNDICATE is a gripping, gloves-off period tale, sharply told with no holds barred."


—Peter James, international bestselling crime fiction author of the DS Roy Grace series

Chris Whitaker

‘Sharp, skilful and savagely stylish, Guy Bolton blends grit and glamour to stunning effect.’

author of Darktown Thomas Mullen

“Both gritty and glitzy, this evocative noir set in Hollywood’s heyday feels like a lost reel from a Bogart classic.”

Editorial Reviews

12/03/2018
Set in 1947, Bolton’s gripping sequel to 2017’s The Pictures finds former LAPD detective Jonathan Craine living in retirement with his 16-year-old son, Michael, in rural Bridgeport, Calif. There, gangster Meyer Lansky’s thugs pay them a call and do serious harm to Michael with a knife. The goons fly Craine to Las Vegas, Nev., where Lansky orders him to find Bugsy Siegel’s killer within five days or his son will die. Abe Levine accompanies Craine to Los Angeles, where Siegel was recently shot dead, as his minder, guard, and connection to the local mob. Abe won’t let Craine use his police contacts or talk to the FBI, so he must rely on a newly met crime reporter and old acquaintances in the movie industry, like Louis B. Mayer. Bolton perfectly captures the era, with cameos by debauched Hollywood stars, rampant chauvinism and racism, and hearings by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Craine’s fear, exhaustion, and desperation are palpable as one lead after another turns to a dead end. This top-notch thriller doesn’t pause from beginning to end. Agent: Anna Power, Johnson & Alcock (U.K.). (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

'Profoundly satisfying.'

Crime Review

'Former Los Angeles cop Jonathan Craine accepts an offer he can't refuse by mobster Meyer Lansky, plunging him back into the world of violence and corruption that lurks under the glitzy Hollywood facade. Real figures from the late 1940s mingle with the fictional in this terrific follow-up to last year's The Pictures. The powerful writing and masterful plotting carry a reminder of Chandler.'

Sunday Times Crime Club

‘Bolton’s evocation of the period and its many real-life characters is perfect and sharply drawn, and I can only think of James Ellroy or Max Allan Collins, both US authors, who have equalled Bolton’s feel for the atmosphere and mood of crooked Hollywood, and Craine sports all the colours of a classic troubled hardboiled character... A total success.'

Crimetime

‘Both gritty and glitzy, this evocative noir set in Hollywood’s heyday feels like a lost reel from a Bogart classic.’

author of Darktown Thomas Mullen

'The author has done so many things right here... He not only made Craine's story a compelling read, but he moved it in unexpected directions...anyone can write a murder mystery, but making it as psychologically intense as the author's done here is a job well done.’

Crime Segment

'This is an entertaining and well-written novel that is set firmly in the milieu of post-war Hollywood... The plot fairly zips along with all the twists and turns that the reader expects from a noir-ish thriller.'

Historical Novel Society

‘Sharp, skilful and savagely stylish, Guy Bolton blends grit and glamour to stunning effect.’

Chris Whitaker

‘The movie business rules throughout...in this brilliantly portrayed crime novel... Humphrey Bogart, Judy Garland, and Cary Grant all have walk on parts in this exhilarating sequel... HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.’

The Last Word

‘Bolton is an assured writer with a style more direct than poetic — a plus for this crime casserole — and he’s got winning characters in Craine and Conroy, among others.’

Mystery Scene

‘This is a razor-sharp evocation of the links between the movies and the mob and cements Bolton’s promise as a master of vintage Hollywood noir.’

Daily Mail

"Bolton spins a lurid tale of Hollywood after dark, complete with drugs, prostitution, and pornography.... nicely mixing Hollywood glamour with backroom sleaze."


—Booklist

From the Publisher

‘Whatever other good qualities a book with a historical setting may have, I consider it important for the writer to demonstrate a good sense of the time and place being treated, and I think Bolton meets that test quite well. He gives a good, provocative picture of the post-World War II zeitgeist.’

PCA Mystery & Detective Fiction Reading list

'Brilliantly taut and atmospheric.'

Mail on Sunday

‘Bolton is a fine writer. This is a gripping, gloves-off period tale, sharply told with no holds barred.’

author of Not Dead Enough Peter James

‘Guy Bolton’s first novel, The Pictures was shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Award, and I’m sure another CWA nomination lies in wait for this, its sequel, The Syndicate... The final act plays out like a Western and is all the better for it. The Syndicate is a well-written crime noir thriller and surely only the second in what could be a long-running series.’

Mystery People

‘A violent, engrossing work set in Hollywood and Las Vegas... Fast moving and written with a deceptively light touch The Syndicate can only enhance Bolton’s growing reputation.’

Literary Review

‘Bolton’s excellent novels are skillful evocations of the era but have a genuine darkness at their heart...[Bolton] manages to convey something of the redemptive magic of the movie business.’

Daily Telegraph

‘The Pictures was an incisive noir thriller...and The Syndicate is just as good... The unravelling of a connection between Hollywood and the criminal world is adroitly done, and the period language never sounds a false note.’

Guardian

‘When infamous mobster Bugsy Siegel is murdered, LAPD cop Jonathan Craine is summoned by the Las Vegas mafia to find out who’s responsible. If he fails, he dies. Taut and atmospheric, this is an excellent classic detective novel.’

Mail on Sunday Top Books of 2018

'From the shocking start to the dramatic conclusion this is a great and compelling read.'

Bookbag

‘If you enjoy hard-boiled American crime thrillers then this book is perfect for you. Highly recommended.’

Grab This Book

‘This is a razor-sharp evocation of the links between the movies and the mob and cements Bolton’s promise as a master of vintage Hollywood noir.’

Daily Mail

Winter 2018

Picking up several years after the events of The Pictures, Bolton's latest has former Hollywood fixer Jonathan Craine living a quiet life with his son on a farm, when he's violently jerked back into the Tinseltown underworld. Representatives of Meyer Lansky give him five days to discover who murdered Bugsy Siegel. If he doesn't come through, they'll kill his son. Craine, who doesn't consider himself much of a detective, works with a female crime reporter and one of Lansky's hit men to investigate. Bolton makes great use of the post-World War II setting, with J. Edgar Hoover's FBI, the House Un-American Activities Committee, and stars such as George Raft, Spencer Tracy, and Judy Garland making cameos. Aside from Louis B. Mayer, whose role could be considered as more involved, the focus is on the era's mafia scene, particularly surrounding Siegel's infamous Flamingo Hotel and Casino. While there are returning characters, it's not necessary to have read the first book to enjoy this take on a famous unsolved crime. VERDICT For readers seeking a violent historical mystery with an organized crime element.—Julie Elliott, Indiana Univ. Lib., South Bend

Library Journal

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