Ink Book

1989 was a bad year for Fleet Street, with only a few papers left in journalism's most famous street. When Hugh Byrne, a journalist on one of these papers, is sent to cover the story of a drowned man who has been found in the Thames, he welcomes it as a diversion from his writer's block. But when Byrne is unaccountably banished to the bowels of the building to update the Queen Mother's obituary, he finds himself in the bizarre lair of the mysterious Green- Carders, a despised army of journalists who are the only ones who know how the paper actually works. And as the paper prepares for a move along the river, Byrne realises that the mystery of the drowned man has a lot of mileage: is it possible for someone to die twice? Preston's grasp of the seedy world of journalism is utterly convincing, with every touch of atmospheric detail rendered with perfect felicity. When the reader has lost track of the plot at times (which does happen), it matters not in the least, such is the fascination of the world we're shown. And Preston never allows us to complain not another sat-upon journalist hero! Byrne is as fully rounded a figure as any in modern fiction, and this is a truly splendid read. Perhaps his last novel, Ghosting, had more brash assurance, but this is probably a better book, playing down the fireworks in favour of a steady, compelling narrative. --Barry ForshawRead More