Nine Inches
First edition
|
|
| Author | Colin Bateman |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Dan Starkey novels |
| Genre | Crime, Dark comedy |
| Publisher | Headline |
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Publication date
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13 October 2011 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 416 |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 751831107 |
| 823.914 | |
| Preceded by |
Belfast Confidential (2005) |
Nine Inches is the eighth novel of the Dan Starkey series by Northern Irish author, Colin Bateman, released on 13 October 2011 through Headline Publishing Group. Fellow crime author, Ian Rankin, recognised the book in The Scotsman as one of his "books of the year" 2011. It was also listed by author Nick Quantrill as one of his "Top 5 Books of 2011".
The four-year-old son of Jack Caramac, a shock jock radio broadcaster and old friend of Dan Starkey, is kidnapped for one hour and returned unharmed. Starkey, now a self-styled "upmarket private eye", is hired to investigate the kidnapping and ascertain who might have been behind it – a significant task given the number of people offended by Caramac's illustration of the crime and corruption prevalent throughout Belfast. Starkey's investigations lead him to the Miller brothers, officially the Chiefs of Staff for the Ulster Volunteer Force, although viewed by Starkey as merely a group of Shankill Road thugs intent on pedalling drugs across Belfast. The Millers have been attempting to evict a widow named Jean Murray from her house and Starkey intervenes, hoping his knowledge of their drug operation would dissuade any repercussions. Starkey's interference leads to the Murray's house being burnt down with Jean still inside.
The novel received universal acclaim, with reviewers praising Bateman's ability to create a likeable anti-hero and his comedic voice.
Mike Ripley, reviewing for Shots magazine, did note that the similarities between this latest Starkey adventure and Bateman's more recent Mystery Man series appear to be quite significant, stating "there are [some] very scary similarities between Mystery Man – a paranoid, anally-retentive, hypochondriac solidly double-parked on the wrong side of Aspergers Street – and Starkey, not the least of which is their fondness for proprietary brands of confectionary". Ripley goes on to state that he found the ancillary characters to be a "splendid supporting cast" and that, of the novel as a whole, "once Nine Inches gets going... it turns into a dark, violent urban thriller". The novel was also reviewed by Maureen Carlyle for Shots, who opined that "if you can stand the extreme violence and the ripe language, this is a pacey tale, and you can't dislike Dan, no matter how hard you try".
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