Saturday Snippet: The Wheelman by Duane Swierczynski

The Wheelman was one of my top reads of 2009, a ferociously paced heist caper, with snappy dialogue and a gazillion twists. Here's a snippet where a former ex-cop quizzes the mute, anti-hero, Lennon.

'Okay, you're officially sprung. You can cut the shit and start talking.'

Oh Jesus. Here we go again.

'Look, you mick bastard, I know you can speak. I heard you. Right before you blew up my fucking house. You said something about arseholes. Which I really fucking love. The extra 'r' in the there. Why not just say asshole? No fucking idea.'

Lennon, of course, said nothing. He couldn't. Not that this cop would understand that. Just let him keep flapping his gums. It was more time to figure out a next move.

'Still the tough guy, eh? Look, really, cut it the fuck out. We need each other, otherwise you wouldn't even be here. Here's the deal. I'm taking us to my hotel room. Now don't get that look on your face. I'm not a fag. You're not my type, anyway. I like men who can moan when I fuck them up the ass. Most you could do is scratch the mattress. And frankly, that wouldn't do it for me. It's all about the audio.'

The white lane markers whizzed by at seventy miles an hour.

'Christ, your a humorless fuck.'

Lennon saw the city receding behind him and realized they were headed north. Or northeast. To the northeast. Where this ex-cop used to live.

Great stuff. My review is here.

Review of The Wheelman by Duane Swierczynski (St Martin’s Minotaur, 2005)

The heist was doomed from the start. Holden and Bling get caught in the doors to the bank and Lennon is forced to reverse the getaway car into vestibule to free them. Driving away he ploughs into a woman with a pram. Five minutes later they have dumped the car, leaving their haul inside, and swapped vehicles. Two minutes after that they are flip-flopping across the street having been rammed from the side, and are left for dead. Only Lennon isn’t prepared to give up on the loot so soon. In very short order he’s tangled up in a game of deals, counter-deals, and double crosses with the Russian mob, Italian mafia, and bent cops, all intent on revenge and the ill-gotten gains.

If I had some spare cash waiting for an investment opportunity I would have sought to buy the movie rights to The Wheelman within the first thirty pages of starting. The novel starts at a ferocious pace and never lets up, driven by snappy dialogue and taut action, with almost every scene containing a twist. In fact I can’t remember a story with so many twists and turns, with double, triple and more crosses, as every character seeks to get the better of the others in the hunt for the stolen money. In so doing, Swierczynski drags the principle character, Lennon, through the wringer, so that although he’s no saint you can’t put help root for the guy. The book is not without its faults – for example, a couple of the scenes lack credibility notably the first scene at the pipe – but ultimately it doesn’t matter. The Wheelman is a rollercoaster of a book. I loved it from first page to last. I need the next Swierczynski book right NOW!