The Syndicate

For some reason I missed "The Pictures" but I am so pleased that thanks to Net Galley I have read, nay - devoured his follow up, "The Syndicate."

What a well written, exciting and perfectly plotted thriller this is.

I enjoyed it from the start and Bolton's descriptions of the mob seemed spot on.

I loved the relationship between Jonathan Craine and his son and I will now be going back to read the first book.

Highly recommended.

Well this was just fantastic.

Weirdly enough I've just read Rod Reynolds Cold Desert Sky which also looks at the life of Bugsy Siegel so to read this and delve more into his life, death and aftermath was particularly exciting.
Guy bolton recreates 1940s Hollywood with style and panache. It reads like it appear in the films and if I were old enough to remember it, I'm sure it would look the same too. He's taken some time going to the places and researching the nuances of the places and it shows. The house where the gangster was murdered, the building where gangster activity was particularly thrilling and oh Las Vegas the city of sin? This is essentially a real story interspersed with a fictional story and mystery - Caine is the character to mould the two and it really works.
I loved The Pictures and was dying to return to this world which did not disappoint. In fact I think Guy has excelled himself here. Fascinating story woven with a fast paced mystery and thriller which would be a darn good film. That's how it played out in my mind!

The syndicate was exciting, mind blowing and fuelled by gangster activity and a mystery which took in the essence of the Hollywood golden age, chewed it over and spat it out. But what a great taste of a forgotten time.

Being among movie star legends such as Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart and Judy Garland must have been tantalising. From the subtle asides throughout The Syndicate and it’s predecessor The Pictures, it is comforting to see that today’s stars of the screen  are no worse in their behaviour than the screen legends in the so called golden era of the movie industry. 

Having thought he had left behind the cloying and self serving movie industry after a bruising affair involving illicit assignations and high level cover ups, ex police detective Jonathan Craine is given little choice but to place his head firmly back in the lion’s jaws. His summoner; Meyer Lansky. His mission; find the killer of the gangster and charmer, Bugsy Siegel. 

No matter how much you read about Siegel and of his deplorable actions, it’s hard to see him as a villain. Here is a man who hobnobbed with movie stars, studio heads, Al Capone, even Benito Mussolini. Nonetheless, Siegel’s company was sought by many and his generous donations to a cancer charity are a matter of record. 

Craine is flown to LA and given five days to find the gunman who murdered Siegel in his Beverly Hills home by firing a barrage of shots from a military M1 carbine. Siegel was heavily involved in the running of the Flamingo hotel and casino in Las Vegas and it is widely assumed that his largesse in the formation and running of this resort led to his demise. Craine works the leads and with the prospect of his son being killed if he doesn’t come up with the goods, needs no further motivation. 

Craine’s dealings with the studio bosses, their entourage, as well as with the police department and the FBI are expertly portrayed and the sense of place created by Bolton could not be more acute. The fact that Craine is up against the clock adds a stark sense of urgency to his actions and we see a man stripped back to his very soul. 

Whether Bolton has nailed the circumstances leading to Siegel’s murder, we’ll likely never know. What he has done however, is pen an exhilarating and intelligent thriller which entertains and enthrals in equal measure. 

My thanks to Oneworld and NetGalley for the ARC.

Guy Bolton follows the superb The Pictures with this outstanding sequel with so much atmosphere that it just drips off the pages, featuring ex-LAPD detective Jonathan Craine, in reality a fixer for the Hollywood Film Studios, making the sleaze and criminal activities of major movie stars disappear. After the dangers that threatened the life of his young son, Michael, and all the horrors of his last case, Craine re-evaluates the direction of his life, his need to prioritise his son and moves to a remote farm. It is 1947, the war is over, and Craine finds his old life casts long shadows as he is given no choice but to return to Hollywood when his son's life is placed in mortal danger. New York mob boss, Meyer Lansky gives Craine 5 days to find the killer of the notoriously volatile LA mobster, Benny 'Bugsy' Siegel, famous for consorting with Hollywood's celebrity acting royalty of the day. If Craine fails, he and Michael will be murdered. He is forbidden to contact the police, and is to be accompanied at all times by the syndicate's Abraham 'Abe' Levine.

LAPD and the head of homicide, Captain Henson, are grateful to be sidelined from the murder investigation when the FBI take it over, lead by Special Agent Redhill. Tilda Conroy is a crime reporter on the most progressive newspaper in LA, rising through the ranks after stories she is not proud of. Although she has a different agenda to Craine, the two find themselves working together to get to the truth behind Siegel's murder. There is a background of paranoia where Hoover has the FBI investigating communism in Hollywood and HUAC, The House Un-American Committee's is pursuing unrelenting witch hunts. All this fuels the stress and tensions experienced by the movie studios along with the increasing number of labour strikes in the industry. With the clock ticking, Craine, a man with few skills or experience in real investigations, is forced to learn fast on his feet in his desperation, assisted by Abe, with whom he finds himself getting surprisingly close to. The FBI are suppressing key pieces of evidence, blame the New York Syndicate for the murder, and seem remarkably uninterested in solving the case. Craine follows all the slim leads he has, including the rising costs incurred by Siegel in his visionary plans to create a gambling mecca in Las Vegas with The Flamingo hotel and casino.

The casual brutality and violence of the era is well captured by Bolton in his detailed and well researched depiction of the LA and Hollywood of the time, with the powerful connections between the movie business, the mafia, the press and City Hall laid bare. In many ways, Craine is in his elements, he has long established contacts with all the major players in LA, crucial to finding who is behind Siegel's death throughout his blood drenched and harrowing investigation. This is a story of power, greed, money, betrayal, deception, secrets and corruption, with the jostling for power of different mob groups, known as the syndicates. With such powerful players at play, Craine has to reach to the limit of his resources, mental, emotional and physical, if he is to stand the slightest chance of securing the safety of his beloved son. Bolton is a gifted writer, and I hope there is another in the series as soon as possible. Absolutely stunning read, I loved this novel, particularly Craine and Abe's complex relationship and the presence of leading actors of the day, such as Robert Mitchum, Judy Garland, Humphrey Bogart and more. I adored both the period details and the gripping mystery at the heart of the novel. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Oneworld Publications for an ARC.