Book description
If America is a lunatic asylum, then California is the Violent Ward.
Mickey Murphy is a criminal lawyer with an office in LA's downtown
low-rent district, an ex-wife who bleeds him for money, clients who
would plead the Fifth Amendment if they could count that high, and an
unrequited passion for his wealthiest client's wife. To make matters
worse, Mickey finds himself embroiled against his wishes in an elaborate
and clever scam that's going askew, and being interrogated by the LAPD
about a brutal murder.
With an observant eye and ear for the California 'scene', Deighton once
again uses his brilliant storytelling skills to propel an exciting and
suspenseful narrative at breakneck speed to a dramatic climax in a
riot-torn city.
This reissue includes a foreword from the cover designer, Oscar-winning
filmmaker Arnold Schwartzman, and an introduction by Len Deighton, which
offers a fascinating insight into the writing of the story.
'Deighton's ear for dialogue and eye for lunatic-California are perfect'
Sunday Express
'A blistering read… The guessing game continues to the final page'
Time Out
'Crime at its most entertaining, filled with lively dialogue'
Sunday Telegraph Born in London, he served in the RAF before
graduating from the Royal College of Art (which recently elected him a
Senior Fellow). While in New York City working as a magazine illustrator
he began writing his first novel, The Ipcress File, which was published
in 1962. He is now the author of more than thirty books of fiction and
non-fiction. At present living in Europe, he has, over the years, lived
with his family in ten different countries from Austria to Portugal.
