Nineteen Seventy Seven

Red Riding Quartet

By: David Peace

Narrated by: Saul Reichlin

If you thought fiction couldn't get darker than then think again. Nineteen Seventy Seven, the second installment of the Red Riding Quartet, is one long nightmare.

It's heroes - the half decent copper Bob Fraser and the burnt-out hack Jack Whitehead - would be considered villains in most people's books. Fraser and Whitehead have one thing in common though; they're both desperate men dangerously in love with Chapeltown prostitutes.

And as the summer moves remorselessly towards the bonfires of Jubilee Night, the killings accelerate and it seems as if Fraser and Whitehead are the only men who suspect or care that there may be more than one killer at large.

Out of the horror of true crime, David Peace has fashioned a work of terrible beauty. David Peace (born 1967) is an English author.

He was named one of the Best of Young British Novelists by Granta in 2003 and won the 2004 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction. Also known for his novels GB84 and The Damned United, the latter was made into a feature film starring Michael Sheen.

©2001 David Peace (P)2010 Audible

Critic reviews

"Quite simply, this is the future of British crime fiction." ( Time Out)

"The pace is relentless, the style staccato-plus and the morality bleak and forlorn....Peace's voice is powerful and unique." ( Guardian)

A rough trip so bring a cushion!

Wow. I have read all of the Marquis de Sade's books so I thought nothing could really shock me but David Peace's "1977" managed to do just that. His portrayal of the absolute worst in people is epic and really hard to digest. I physically felt ill a couple of times. I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to make it through the whole recording but am I glad I did. The story and the characters really drew me in and I was actually sad when the recording ended. Saul Reichlin is an absolutley perfect narrator. I am already starting on "1980".

Harder than "1974" but don't give up!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The Red Riding Quartet overall is excellent and deserves a good readership. It's definitely not for everybody, but lots of stuff isn't so whatever.

What did you like best about this story?

The presentation of The Year 1977 itself--the Jubilee, the sense of social breakdown. Very much engaged with a very turbulent and unsettling moment of British history. In my view, this quality makes 1977 the most rewarding book of the series.

What about Saul Reichlin’s performance did you like?

Reichlin is all-around superb as a reader of the Quartet. I do kind of wish, for this book, there'd been 2 readers--one for each narrator--since Peace is overall not very good at distinguishing between the "voices" of his various characters, which can cause extra confusion when listening. But it's not a huge deal.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Already been done.

Any additional comments?

Readers of 1974 will find 1977 more challenging, partly because a lot of what happens in 1974 is only vaguely and tangentially dealt with in 1977. But persevere. It's worth it.

Atmospheric, dark tale.

Great reader, and very dark story. The level of the writing is high and the characters feel authentic to their time and place.

I want more! Can't wait for the last two in the series.

Elevates True Crime Fiction to Literature

The Red Riding Quartet is shocking, especially for those of us who really enjoy Masterpiece Mystery. The language is obscene, the situations are brutal, and the characters are vile. There are no heroes here; every character is deeply flawed. But his style is that of Literature with a capital L. Some of the passages read like free verse poetry. Symbollic imagery threads throughout the books. In "1980" there are many passages of stream of consciousness -- think Joyce's Ulysses. The quartet is a single story that unfolds over 10 years. Each book is very different: told from different characters' points of view. Each book has it's own style. We Agatha Christie fans need to be patient with these books because underneath all of the Evil, there is a very clear and certain Morality. A Morality that has been violated, but it is there in every book.

Truly, these books are not for everyone. They are absolutely horrifying, the stuff of nightmares, but they are also very beautifully thought out and executed.

not getting any better

I had decided to give this series a try. the first book was a difficult read to get through. I gave the second a try. not going to read the third. sorry, but it is too much of a boring read.