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London Blues

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London Blues

By: Anthony Frewin
Narrated by: Paul Thornley
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About this listen

The chance discovery of a 30-year-old blue movie leads back to the film's maker, Tim Purdom, and the London of the late fifties and early sixties.

Purdom was a pioneer of the B&W British porno film and a figure on the periphery of the Profumo sex scandal. He directed eight films... but who was directing him and what was their hidden agenda? And where is Tim now?

London Blues explicitly and unremittingly details the hidden world of Soho vice and London's demi-monde at the time when the grey 1950s were giving way to the 'swingin' sixties'. It is a dramatic and compelling venture into the secret history of our time - a provocative and totally original novel.

Anthony Frewin was born in London and lives in Hertfordshire. He was assistant film director to Stanley Kubrick for over 20 years. He has written three novels, London Blues, Sixty-Three Closure and Scorpian Rising.

©1997 Anthony Frewin (P)2013 Audible Ltd Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense England Fiction

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Critic reviews

A forceful, striking thriller...' - Time Out'The quintessential Soho book' - Loaded'Fifties atmosphere, powerfully evoked' - Literary Review'London Blues is visual in a way few books are - the eye of the narrator is like a camera lens, panning across the lost London of memory' - Peter Dillon-Parkin, Crime Time'What a gripping tour de force is Anthony Frewin's London Blues!' - Terence Strong, Tangled Web
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Remember some of the incidents as a youngster. It shows just how life has changed in the last 60 years. Would recommend just for the memories created by the narrator and writer.

Remember well

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As an avid listener to audiobooks, I have developed a very critical view, of both story and narration. This book has been very good in both categories. The mix of some fiction and real events doesn’t always work but this really does. You really are transported back to the early 60’s and although some language and racial description is probably not to every wokes taste, I for one think this is a classic example of ‘so what’! It works , and if you are offended - get a fucking life!
Definitely 5 stars all the way. Now searching for others by the same author….and narrator.

Really enjoyed this book…

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Paul Thornley read this flawlessly as he always does.

An interesting story and whilst at times a little confusing who was the character narrating it was compelling.

Good characters and a well described 1960s London.

Maybe a bit too ‘fruity’ for some!

Quirky style - but compelling

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Having loved Scorpian Rising, I was straight back aboard the Frewin train. Anthony Frewin, in addition to having written three novels, was assistant film director to Stanley Kubrick for over 20 years. Paul Thornley does another excellent job of narrating the tale.

London Blues (1997) is another corker. It takes a while to get going however every page is chock full of wonderful and well informed period detail. Once the protagonist arrives in London in 1959 things pick up fast.

In common with Baron's Court, All Change, London Blues has a real proto-Mod vibe running through it. I love this sort of stuff.

The novel takes place during 1959-1963 and intersects with the Profumo Affair and specifically Stephen Ward.

As the title suggests most of the book takes place in a London slowly waking up from post WW2 austerity and into the swinging sixties. If you like reading about London during this era then do not hesitate. This is a great read especially that London period detail: Maltese gangsters, Soho proto-porn shops, Super 8 blue moves, Jazz on the record player, girls drinking Cherry B, “charge” etc.

Excellent early 60s period

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my second Frewin story, both intriguing and very different, but with an underworld connection.

can't put down books and about to move to a third.
Not for someone that wants every loose end tidied up as both my reads have left me wondering if the main character of each may appear in another book and what happened to them.

my second Frewin book

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Quite a unique story line and captures the early 60s from a different perspective.

the narrator, brilliant

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...it was part of audible plus, this was really rather excellent. it was slow in the beginning but picked up no end, and by the end I was engrossed

for a story that I only got because...

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Fantastic performance by Paul Thornley, dishing out a nice tale, albeit with a weak storyline. There’s to many occasions on which it leaves the reader with a “but what of it?” feeling.

great performance

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Greatly atmospheric story. Depicted the period really well. The characters were well rounded and believable.

Good period story

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This is the worst audio book I have ever had . Only Paul Thor ley was good

Dreadful.

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