Layer Cake
The inspiration for the major motion picture starring Daniel Craig: a high-octane crime novel set in the dangerous London underworld of the 1990s.
Kingpins, dealers, rival gangs, false allegiances, bad faith, and good money. There are many levels to the world of drugs lurking beneath the polished surface of London—a "layer cake" of crime that can chew up and spit out even the most experienced of players. Though he's only twenty-nine, our narrator ("If I told you my name, you'd be as clever as me") has made a small fortune in cocaine, enough to retire by thirty if he plays his cards right.
But then word comes down that Jimmy Price, one of the biggest Dons in the city, has a job for him, one last big score that could set him up for good. All he has to do is find Charlotte Ryder—and then figure out how to escape the tangled web of the underworld alive.
A high-intensity novel filled with bluffs and double crosses, dangerous enemies and even more treacherous allies, Layer Cake is a "walloping debut" (Kirkus Reviews), guaranteed to take you on a breathless, breakneck ride from the first page to the final con.
"A storming piece of work: funny and serious by turns, with an abiding sense of conviction." —The Guardian
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J. J. Connolly
JJ Connolly lives and works in London. He was born in North London to Irish immigrant parents. JJ adapted Layer Cake for the screen and now spends his time between novels and screenplays. Viva La Madness is in development as a major TV series.
Writing tips: Don't talk about writing - write. Don't tell people your stories. Not because they'll steal them but because you dissipate them. Always finish a day's work by leaving a final full stop - so when you resume, you're up and running as soon as you sit down. Welcome feedback. Listen to what people tell you about your writing. You can choose to ignore it if you want to, but don't let your ego get in the way of opinions that could bring your writing forward. Don't be scared of mistakes.
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