THE LONG FIRM

New York, NY, U.S.A.: Soho Press, Inc., 1999. First U.S. Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. As New/Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. A 'long firm' is a particular type of scam perpetrated by British gangs on unsuspecting innocents. Harry Starks is a kind of fraud, too. He like to think of himself as an impresario in roaring-60s London, a club owner. Certainly, he is a romantic but, in truth, he is a gangster, a rival of the infamous Krays and every bit as ruthless (and gay). He has an expensive flat in Chelsea full of scrapbooks showing him with Sonny Liston, Johnny Ray, Ruby Ryder, and other celebrities who appear at his club. Even Judy Garland. He likes to hobnob with fighters and performers and, recently, a member of parliament whose allegiance he has cultivated. Harry collects them, as if proximity will give him legitimacy. "Show business is in my blood," he boasts to a friend and prospective victim. Show business, i.e., together with larceny and sadism. Ingenuous and evil, menacing and ruthless, Harry is compelling, a romantic who insists on honor, insists on loyalty, whose generosity is as renowned as his barbarity--and he is very generous. This compulsively fascinating period thriller has garnered raves, including from James Crumley who called it "A great read, an amazing tale of one of the most interesting fictional villains I've ever encountered, cleverly told and filled with an unexpected cast of characters." As new, in fine, mylar-protected dust jacket. Y