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London is Dead

Author(s): Michael Keenaghan

Location(s): London

Genre(s): Crime, Fiction

Era(s): Set in 2006

‘Tough, urban prose from an author with a sharp, distinctive style and an ear for the language of London’s naughtier characters. Keenaghan’s love for his city shines through in this driven, thumping novel. Cult fiction for the 2020s.’ – John King, author of The Football Factory and Human Punk

Terry Hart’s straight lifestyle has got him nowhere – no money and no respect from his family. When he’s viciously robbed in his mini-cab, his self-pride hits a new low. As the temptation to return to crime bites hard, out come the demons from a brutal and tragic past. Suddenly East London has a new Ripper on the loose…

Bigz is a street hustler in a world of hard knocks. He’s haemorrhaging friends and inflaming enemies, which lands him at the desk of feared local don Hot Iron Mike, a man for whom an apologetic explanation is never enough. Hired as a ‘pitbull on the payroll’ he is paired with Lil Killa, a dangerous loner with aside project: offing the men who abused him while growing up in care. They make quite a team.

Meanwhile across town, the Kilburn Mob, a resurrected armed outfit from the 90s, have a lucrative job on the cards – and they’re hiring. But all is not well between old trusted friends. As past acts of betrayal resurface, not everybody will survive the outcome.

A fierce, shocking and darkly comic portrait of society’s marginal and ignored, London is Dead wields a cast of flawed but colourful characters as they cross paths and swords in the gritty backstreets of the capital.

“Tough, urban prose from an author with a sharp, distinctive style and an ear for the language of London’s naughtier characters. Keenaghan’s love for his city shines through in this driven, thumping novel. Cult fiction for the 2020s.” – John King, author of The Football Factory and Human Punk

“A big and bold book, but essentially a quick read because of an excellent flow and pace. Fierce and shocking but also darkly comical. There is a filmic quality at work here. Could easily be the next Gerard Johnson movie. London is Dead is the title, but this debut novel is alive and kicking.”

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