Graham Greene's Brighton Rock

Now this is a crime novel you can sink your teeth into. There is romance, murder, drama and crime, all things you want from a 1930’s thriller. We have different focalizations, different understandings of a complex murder by a much more complex young boy.

The novel begins with a murder and immediately, Ida, a bored, middle-aged, wannabe detective decides to solve the crime she believes the police are too incompetent to workout. But what Ida does not realize is that the more she delves into this crime the more she become webbed into the unforgiving world of gang conflict. Pinkie, a young, but mature lad is in charge of the gang responsible for Hale’s murder (this is not a spoiler as he tells you he is going to die from the 1st page). But in the midst of covering for his crime he has to deal with his own conflicts, those in physical form of the leader of the rival gang in Brighton, Colleoni, but also internally as he battles his own demons. Pinkie is a clever character created by Greene as he demonstrates the social commentary at the time. Pinkie is poor, had a rough upbringing and desires control and power. He joins the gang in order to prove himself all while hiding his own insecurities and fears. He is unable to see anything past his own ego and anger and does not notice the good that is right in front of him. His violent tendencies are what make his character who he is, but his youth and naivety cause him to be doubted and mocked by those around him, including his gang mates.

Rose is your typical young girl who gullibly fallen in love with the first boy who showed her any attention, unfortunately for her it was Pinkie. The teenage girl is so smitten that she does not notice how pinkie uses her to his own advantage. Despite multiple warnings from Ida, Rose still believes him to be a good man. I pitied Rose originally as she was lonely and manipulated, but once she found out about his line of work she did have the ability to leave and she did not, therefore she perhaps deserved what she got.

The novel is a social commentary on post war Britain during the economic slump following the 1929 Great Depression. Seaside towns, like Brighton, relied heavily on summer tourism in order to make money, but that was not enough to rid them from the poverty society was currently falling into. The races were a pick-me-up for the town however this is where mobs did their business by rigging the races. The razors on the cover of the novel may seem odd, but in this scene, you work out why due them being a common concealed weapon for mobs (the real Peaky Blinders).

Brighton Rock is a novel full of suspense, questions, drama, and the conflict of oneself. It is truly gripping and incredibly interesting. I honestly recommend reading is you want a proper mob novel. Also once you work out the murder weapon, I hope you will be as impressed and shocked as I was!