* 3.5 Stars*

A Lot Of Nerve’ follows the antics of small time conman “Jonesy”. Here we have a bit of a Del Boy, wheeling and dealing in whatever goods happen to come his way. Out of necessity, he drinks in dark and dingy dead end pubs in the less salubrious parts of London - this is where he finds other like minded crooks looking to pass on, or purchase all manner of illicit goods.

His latest deal though, takes him into unknown territory, when he becomes unwittingly involved with some of London’s most feared gangsters as well as certain government agencies, and he’s not entirely sure which of them are the most dangerous!

Although Jonesy was clearly at ease knowing that his dealings were of the illegal kind, and given the fact that he has a complete disregard for the law, you’d think that he’d have little appeal to the reader, but actually he did have a really good side to him, and he turned out to be quite a likeable and interesting character.
For me though, the plot required that you suspend a certain amount of disbelief - and if you’re happy to do that, then you’ll discover a fast paced compelling read, and should there be a follow up, I would be happy to read further capers from Jonesy.

‘I had an instinct about these things, it was how I made my living. I sensed an opportunity.’

Meet Jones. He’s an opportunist, always looking to make some easy money. But his plans don’t always turn out quite the way he’d like. We first meet Jones in a pub, where a nervous looking man attracts his interest. And when two men join him, and an exchange is made, Jones is pretty sure that this could be a very lucrative deal. While Jones inserts himself into that deal, he’s still dealing with an unhappy customer. Mr Finch is not at all happy, and he could well turn violent. You see, Mr Finch employed Jones to sell on a large consignment of very dubious wine and the wine just keeps flowing back.

‘No one ever gets it. That they’re there to be expendable.’

So, here’s Jones. He’s a reasonably good juggler, and he needs to be. Not only is Mr Finch unhappy with him, he’s managed to get caught on a tightrope between the law (at least two arms of it) and a particularly nefarious gangster family. But wait, there’s more! You’ll need to read it for yourself.

This novel is described as a ‘light hearted crime caper set in London’. I read it more as a crime-fiction parody. Sure, aspects are light-hearted, and Jones comes across (to me, at least) as light-weight. The novel shifts between different first-person points of view: between Jones and other characters. I found those other accounts distracting until I decided to read the novel as a parody. Then, the different points of view enhanced my enjoyment immeasurably.

Funny, but not memorable.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Thistle Publishing for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

The book is a page turner but as it told you who everyone was it failed to mention the main character its deferentially worth the read.

The main character in A Lot of Nerve seems to be a modern day Arthur Daley with his wheeling & dealing but that is as far as it got as the book just did not work for me and I wasn't engaged at all

Sorry but not for me

Even though I read this in a day I struggled with it. First of all there was no indication of the main character's name until 10 percent into the book, all the while the book introduced other people. The second thing is where is the plot, this guy (Mr. Jones) is just trying to unload a bunch of wine. No thrills, no suspense, this book just flowed into nothingness. This book is set in London and goes from one nasty pub to another. His friends are also all con men and there is barely a female. I couldn't relate to any character. How can the bad guys not know that he's meeting up with someone of law enforcement if he's "being watched at all times." This book just didn't do it for me. What A Lot of Nerve.

Thank you Net Galley and Thistle Publishing for my review.

It took until the last chapter to find the purpose of this book. It was interesting enough to keep me reading, but confusing. There isn't a good guy or girl in the book. No that's not true DI Hernandez is okay, but willing to accept bad means to a good end.

Jim "Jonesy" Jones runs a number of illegal businesses all over London, we see his office and meet his friends, enemies, associates and victims. Author Ian Mcculloch writes a quick and witty British brogue but this isn't the kind of detective mystery that offers an intellectual challenge. It's more flash and less substance. For example, Jones has a friend named Spike who speaks in a cheeky chappy cockney accent. We know this because Ian Mcculloch tells us multiple times, not because we ever get to read any of it for ourselves.

A Lot of Nerve was a light hearted and delightful romp through the capers and adventures of a small time hoodlum, Mr. Jones, in present day London.

Easy reading: entertaining and fun.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and Thistle Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

It was definitely 'a lot of nerve'. What is this book about exactly? Is it trying to be a hard-boiler? Is it trying to re-do Arthur Daly? I do not think so. And those odd chapters for different characters...
Honestly, having read quarter of the book, I still do not know what the plot is.
A shifty, flashy conman is trying to outdo numerous thugs at the same time. He could have been so much fun. He lives in Notting Hill, travels across London, drinks in dark and dingy pubs and has a super-smart secretary...
I had to leave it at that... My apologies to the NetGalley.

This book was entertaining and fun to read. A really good thriller that kept me hooked till the end.
It's fast paced, keeps on the edge and it's a lot of fun.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Thistle Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC