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A Lot of Nerve

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Member Reviews

This was a thrilling read, and I will try more of this author in future. Recommended for anyone who loves a great read that keeps you entertained.

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This one took me a while to get into but when I did ,it became an enjoyable read with each turn of the page.

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Five stars are deserved for A Lot of Nerve. It doesn't set out to be literary or serious. It is just a delightful fun read with loads of humour and wonderfully imaginative twists and turns. Our hero "Jones" lives on his wits and makes considerable "commission" from cunningly conning others into parting with money. Whilst he always seeks to avoid physical violence albeit that is often the very trait his "clients" specialise in. So it's perhaps inevitable that one day he'll fall victim to over-confidence which, In this novel he does so in spades! He manages to end up dealing with 3 levels of gangsters, M15, the CIA and the police (albeit the latter is primarily a romantic connection!) and yet he survives. Great plot, imaginative writing and an intriguing and very human lead character. Enjoy!

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The essence of a grifter, even a well meaning one, is wrapped in the essence of risk and danger vs. reward. In “A Lot Of Nerve” [Ian McCulloch/Thistle/280pgs], it is about the lead character of Jones knowing where to see his limits versus the capital to be gained. Like most criminal protagonists, he always seems to be one step ahead of his competition until he gets in over his head. The play at hand involves a set of papers which involve a formula that Jones seems to know nothing about. The time frame in terms of year is vague but sticks firmly in the modern with a slight ode to a bit of film noir without losing the plot devices of burner phones and GPS. The aspect that fuels the book has to do with the essence of identity but also the chess game that goes on behind the scenes to make everything look normal. Jones is under the thumb of a local gangster named Finch who unfairly gouges him because of his own shortcomings. Jones supposedly gets on the radar of a government branch who may or may not be who they say they are. The true structure though comes in the form of Tomasetti which is where the true meat of the story lies. There is an undeniably Godfather structure to the old man’s progression especially in the extremes of violence and calm without moving a finger. The aspect of Horlicks (a kind of hot chocolate with alliteration) instills both contentment, fear and a sense of understanding between Jones and his very superior teacher. The aspect of tactile approach is what differentiates Jones as he looks to punish only those who require a bit of schooling. Hernandez, a police inspector who happens upon part of his little scheme, plays both confidant, semi romantic interest and plot device despite her very real essence of making sure Jones knows his place. “A Lot Of Nerve” nicely intersects the reasoning of the lead character pushing the boundaries of story texture while still allowing for a dexterous yarn.

B

By Tim Wassberg

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A Lot of Nerve is an impressive debut novel featuring small-time villain, Jonesy. Despite his ‘dodgy deals’, he is somehow a very likeable character; the reader is definitely on his side. The story is mostly told from Jonesy’s point of view with occasional insights into the minds of others. This helps to move the story forward. It has a striking cover, touches of humour and some wonderfully quirky characters that come to life on the page; it would be easy to imagine it turned into a movie. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Jonesy. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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A good thriller that gets everything right!

It was fantastic reading about London's underworld. And the book is fabulously written. It keeps you hooked from the get-go.

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Jonesy seems to have a death wish, he is all over the place mixing it up with sharks and barracudas. He sure ain't no legit businessman, he is a con, a washer of all things, he is crooked to the bone. He is too smooth, way in over his head and walking himself into an early grave. But you know what I sort like this dude he is a bit brash in your face with it, he truly has a lotta nerve. Highly entertaining and full of intrigue.

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A lot of Nerve is probably the most consistently action packed novella I've ever read. The dialogue is crisp, the characters full bodied and mostly likeable and the action exciting.

The writing was really well done and the characters were so good I felt that I was there with them.

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A Lot of Nerve is the story of Jonesy. He is a small time con man in London who operates several schemes. One day he gets involved in something that's a bit more than he expected. Jonesy now has some trouble with the mob. The story is entertaining but not realistic. It's not supposed to be plausible because if it were, this story wouldn't work. The character of Jonesy is very entertaining and engaging. I liked the story overall because it's light and fun to read. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

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2.5 Stars. This book is perfectly readable and would be a good "in between books" type of book. It had a lot of potential, but it never quite reached it's full potential.

Basic plot: A career scam artist/non-violent criminal, Jonesy, happens upon a secret deal and sees the potential to make some money by cutting in on the action. It turns out to be a little more than he bargained for. The story takes place in London. Jonesy is likable and has some pretty creative money making schemes. Unfortunately, he is mixed up with some pretty bad guys (mobsters), some secret organizations in his government and an attractive police detective. He gets into several rough situations, but Jonesy is smart and resourceful and always manages to talk his way out of difficult situations.

All of the characters, especially the mobsters/gangsters are actually interesting. The foundation was there, but the characters needed to be fleshed out a little more. The relationship and trust between Jonesy and the police detective happened a little too easily, as did the relationship between Jonesy and one of the mobsters. A little more development or backstory would have made these relationships more believable and made for better connection with the storyline/action. Also, with so many different characters, the book was set up perfectly for there to be some double crossing going on or ultimate plot twists at the end. For example, I thought the police detective might have actually been on the payroll for one of the mobsters and had that been the case, the book would have been much more interesting. I think the ending may be the set up for a book 2, but it was done in such a way that book ended very abruptly.

I did enjoy reading and learning some of the British slang and the book is fairly funny at points and actually made me chuckle.

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I've been missing Lovejoy, the charming, roguish,, amoral character created by Jonathan Gash. So I was delighted to discover, 10% or so into A Lot of Nerve, that Ian McCulloch's main character Jones is a sunny-dispositioned scoundrel in the Lovejoy mold.

Jones isn't a bad man. He simply discovered that his best chance of success lies along the margins of legality. His skill set includes a slick opportunism and a flexible moral code. Well, somewhat flexible. He doesn't do violence, under any circumstances.

This book is not hilarious, but there are frequent chuckles provided by most of the characters in turn. It's not a thriller, but there are plenty of passages where the reader asks, "And how is he going to get himself out of this predicament?"

And one of the story lines, involving a detective inspector, hinted at the possibility of a series, and an offbeat crime-fighting duo that I'd be pleased to follow.

In the grand scheme of literature, this book is probably a true 3.5 out of 5. But what it does, it does so well that I'm rounding up 4 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance readers copy.

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I was invited to read this directly by the publisher, but it was also available through NetGalley. I don’t normally read gangster novels but liked the sound of it, and it made a nice change from all the crime thrillers I’ve been gorging on lately.

Jonesy is a wideboy who makes a good living running various shady businesses and brokering deals amongst the London underbelly, without actually committing crimes directly himself. When he spots a suspicious transaction going on in one of his local pubs, he takes the opportunity to muscle in on the deal, not realising what he is getting himself into. State secrets are being sold, and MI5, having lost their inside man, ask him to infiltrate the gang in the middle of it to find out who the buyer is. Meanwhile another vicious gangster is forcing Jonesy to sell a batch of dreadful wine, or else... Wheeling and dealing is his special skill, but will he be able to play all the different villains off against each other long enough to stay alive?

This is a debut thriller by an author who is not the former frontman of Echo & The Bunnymen, as goodreads would have you believe. Told mainly from Jonesy’s POV, there are short chapters by other significant characters, which worked very well. Unusually for a gangster novel, there was no foul language, which may seem unrealistic but made it a much more enjoyable read for me (I must be getting old.) There was some humour, a smidgen of romance, some great characters, (loved Mimi and Terry) and obvious sponsorship by the makers of Horlicks 😉

It’s unclear whether this is a stand-alone or the beginning of a series. I for one would be keen to read what Jonesy gets up to next. My thanks to Thistle Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. A Lot of Nerve is available now.

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'Jonesy', aided by his scheming aunt Mimi, does a lot of things and owns more than a dozen companies. Not that he knows about them all, no way... He is mainly busy enjoying himself. So when one not so happy day he thinks he sees an opportunity, without exactly knowing what kind of opportunity (only that lots of money changes hands) he jumps in - to never really jumping out.
The story has to main lines; how to sell 500 cases of terrible wine (with some very good wine hidden between it) and how to try and unravel the complex lies from several 'spies'.
At times a very funny story, although sometimes a bit too complicated, which gives the impression that even the author had some trouble seeing where all this would lead. But in the end, neatly done and a nice read.

Thank you Thistle and Netgalley for a digital copy of this book.

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This is a very original story, and after reading a bit I thought it would be pure nonsense. I was wrong; it's not very plausible, of course, but it's very good entertainment, with a few funny points as well. Well written and great characters.

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I shouldn't call this a police procedural. In actual fact there is one British policewoman, DI Hernandez, and a slew of bad guys, almost too numerous to count. This book is for the most part written in the first person of Mr. Jones, who with his sweet old Auntie Mimi runs a bunch of scams and shady businesses out of a two room second story 'office' above a newsagent by notting Hill Gate tube station. We occasionally have a chapter written in the first person of various bad guys, or Detective Inspector Hernandez, as well.

Jones is not a truly bad guy - he fits about midway up the ladder of actual crooks and his scams and money laundering schemes are basically harmless. He has a knack for finding himself in the middle of deals, and as a middleman he shines. Unfortunately a couple of the very bad criminal bosses get him wedged into deals he is not comfortable being involved in, and he is able to use his knack in a meaningful way towards getting himself out of the line of fire. And with the help of sweet old Aunt Mimi and DI Hernandez he is able to keep himself alive....at least in the short term.

I received a free electronic copy of this British police procedural from Netgalley, Ian Mcculloch, and Thistle Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

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A light hearted novel centred around a dubious London conman / career criminal. Some interesting characters enhanced by the intermittent first person narratives. The plot line twisted through many convolutions, but didn't quite hang together from the readers perspective.
There were no clear distinctions between the good guys and the baddies, all were various shades of grey. Even the really evil characters had their gentler sides.
An easy read for a long journey, where the short paragraphs help the book to be put down and picked up at will, without the reader losing the story line.

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Jones lives to make a deal. Got something you need to sell? Call him. Aunt Mimi will take the message. He sees papers change hands for a big envelope of money and decides to get in on the action. Sometimes you do are not worth the money. When he gets involved in selling papers that he has no idea what they are, he is In over his head. This is one transaction, he may not survive. I received this book from Net Galley and Thistle Publishing for a honest review. The opinions are my own.

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Rating: 2.5/5.0

The story is about Mr. Jones who is a con man running several illegal businesses under cover. The whole book is about his adventures, the way he works and deals with his friends, business partners, and adversaries. My problem is that the book did not have a specific story or theme to tell, it felt all over the place. You cannot even call this a slice of life kind of books because it is not that kind either.
I felt underwhelmed reading it as I was expecting more from the story in terms of actions and deceptions. However, despite all this, I am sure there are other audiences who will appreciate this book for what it is.

One thing I have to note here is that the story is told from different perspectives of several persons. Though this can be good to understand what goes inside each character's mind but it can get confusing at other times which happened to me. Thanks to NetGalley and Thistle Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book.

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I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. It took me longer than normal to read as I started on Christmas Eve and just finished today,the 27th. It is my first book read by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.

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An entertaining romp with a small time crook in London. A quick fun read that kept me turning pages long after I should be sleeping.

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