A crafty caper
It takes a mind as devious as a master criminal to write an original crime novel, says Edward O'Hare. Irish novelist Declan Burke shows cunning, humour and skill in his second novel, The Big O
Even a cursory glance around bookstores will tell readers that the most popular genre of fiction is crime. It would be a mistake to say that our obsession with nefarious individuals and their dark pursuits is anything new, but the last 20 years has seen the development of so many forms of criminality that crime fiction has had a struggle on its hands just to keep up with reality.
The crime novelists who have managed to capture the supposed excitement and glamour associated with drug trafficking, theft and extortion have made themselves millions and won the admiration of countless readers.
It is the very ubiquity and commerciality of crime fiction which leads many people to presume that it must be easy to write a good crime novel. Most prove to be formulaic rehashes whose authors make little effort to hide where they have stolen their material from. To write a truly original contemporary crime novel takes a mind as devious as that of a master criminal, a skewed perspective that reveals the machinations at work beneath modern society and a cruel sense of fun. Fortunately Declan Burke, the author of Eight Ball Boogie, has these qualities and a lot more to offer readers, and his latest novel, The Big O, is an exhilirating, hilarious and unmistakably Irish escapade in crime fiction.
The plot moves with the speed of a getaway car. A new villain has appeared on the steets of the city, ruthlessly emptying tills before disappearing on the back of a motorcycle. The difference about this criminal is that behind the Magnum .44 and the tinted visor is not a man but a girl, former check-out worker Karen King. Fresh from her latest raid, Karen hooks up with Ray, a nice guy who she very nearly shot dead. Karen soon discovers that she is not the only hoodlum in the relationship. Ray has a history of kidnapping people, a past that is fast catching up with him.
Meanwhile the incompetent plastic surgeon Frank Dolan is in trouble. Stuck in the middle of an excruciatingly expensive divorce, he is being manipulated by every woman he knows, from his brainless bimbo bride-to-be Genevieve to his insatiably avaricious daughters. Frank plans to have his almost ex-wife, the vacuous Madge, kidnapped as part of a lucrative insurance fraud. Rossi Francis Assisi Callaghan is a petty crook who wants to go big time. Just released from prison, he is out to find Karen. Throw in a vicious assault on a golf course, an armed raid on a charity shop, a missing stash of pills, the nastiest animal ever to bear the name Anna, a mysterious adoption and half a million in cash and you have a very funny thriller, packed tight with cracking moments and sizzling dialogue.
What sets The Big O above so many similar books is that it is an old-fashioned caper story told with great vitality. Declan Burke does not try to show off or deceive with decoy plots or false trails but proceeds straight to business. Within 30 pages we know that there is going to be a kidnapping and from there on all that takes place, convoluted and hectic though things get, is connected to this scheme. The book is divided into brief sections and revolves from one character's perspective to another. By this method Burke simultaneously advances the story and fleshes out his characters. This is a clever device that could have caused Burke real problems had he handled it with less skill.
Declan Burke's talent as a novelist really shines when it comes to giving each of his creations a personality of their own. Karen is a brazen, alluring ladette who is convincingly feminine at the same time as being drunk on the thrill of her crimes. Ray is more interested in his new career painting murals for children than kidnapping. Rossi keeps feeling that he is descended from the mafia families of Sicily. The hapless Frank, a lover of vodka and classical music, is the standout character. It says much of Declan Burke's ability in this genre that he can exaggerate his characters but stop them turning into caricatures.
Each character, even minor parts like Doug, a lawyer about as straight as a corkscrew, and Sleeps, a narcoleptic crook, also has a distinctive voice. As befits a crime novel, Burke comes up with expletive-ridden exchanges so imaginative that they turn swearing into an art-form. What makes reading The Big O even more enjoyable is the deep and obvious respect that Declan Burke has for the work of the great writers of the genre. Most novels that attempt to be ironic and self-referential end up seeming like poor copies or smug send-ups. The Big O is neither. It is a blast from start to finish.