Nick's Six Best Books

FIESTA (THE SUN ALSO RISES) by Ernest Hemingway

The tale of a bunch of feckless ex-pat Americans living a soulless existence in Paris of the 1920’s following the atrocities of the First World War. Brilliantly written in Hemingway’s typical, sparse way, the novel moves from a superbly evocative Paris down to the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, telling the interwoven story of the hero, Jake Barnes, his friends and the love that can never be.

I read Hemingway for A level and he has been a constant with me since!

THE DAY OF THE JACKAL by Frederick Forsyth

The book that launched the ‘faction’ industry. Forsyth’s story about the plot to assassinate de Gaulle in 1963 was the first – and best – to combine fact and fiction in a way which grips the reader from start to finish. The manhunt to track down the Jackal is breathtaking and painstakingly told and even though you know the end, the tension never lets up.

I read this book when I was in my teens and I still go back to it this day to see how the master does it. All his subsequent books were excellent, too.

THE EYE OF THE TIGER by Wilbur Smith

Harry Fletcher, the man with a chequered past, is the hero of this story of deep sea fishing, gun-running and buried treasure in the tropical seas off the coast of Africa. The story is a prime example of how to write in the first person – notoriously difficult – and how to keep the readers cheering on a hero who is a killer (when he has to be), yet warm and funny and a wow with the ladies.

I first picked this book up in 1976 and have reread it many times since. A classic example of a thriller writer at his very best. Great fun!

THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD by John Le Carre

Picked this one up in my mid-teens and read it on holiday with the family in the former Yugoslavia. It is a brilliant tour de force, grittily written by a master of the spy genre. I was stunned by it and I don’t think Le Carre has produced anything better since, although the George Smiley books were also great.

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE by Ian Fleming

By the time Fleming wrote this, he had really got into his stride. It starts with the story of the man Red Grant, a trained assassin, who is ordered by SMERSH to kill James Bond. Almost the first third of the book is about Grant and the fiendish plot to lure Bond to his death. Bond himself only comes into it in Chapter 11. Great locations, great writing, massive influence on me. ....Enjoy

THE FIRM by John GrishamTHE FIRM by John Grisham> Grisham’s best legal thriller by far! A young lawyer caught up in a mob owned firm of lawyers, Grisham even makes photocopying exciting. He gets a lot of criticism for not having rounded characters, but who cares? The plot moves quickly with no unnecessary navel gazing, and soon our hero has been sucked into a world from which there seems to be no escape … other than feet first in a pine box, or, more likely, feet encased in a concrete block and dumped in the Mississippi.

Top Six Rolling Stone Songs

If you have read my books, you’ll probably have picked up that I have a bit of a thing for the Stones. They feel like they’ve been with me all my life, through thick and thin, and I adore them and their music.

Whatever you do, guys, don’t grow old gracefully.

These are my top six Stones songs, but only at this moment in time. Tomorrow it could be different.

TUMBLING DICE

The Stones at their sleaziest best. Recorded during their notorious tax exile from Britain in 1971 when they cut up the Cote D’Azur with their sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, even. It sounds as if it’s always about to fall apart as it changes pace, but brilliant drumming from Charlie Watts and a subtle Keith Richards riff keeps it on its feet as Jagger muddies the vocals with drugs, gambling and sexual references that you’ve got to get your ear to the speaker to even have a chance at deciphering.

TELL ME

One of their first ballads, one of the first songs Jagger and Richards ever wrote, in fact. This is not much more than a demo, really, but its beautifully recorded and a portent of things to come. Over the years the Stones have become one of the best, but most underrated, ballad bands in the world and I still do not think they have been truly recognised for their talent.

MISS YOU

Charlie’s ‘four on the floor’ beat took the world by storm in this classic Stones single from the Some Girls album in 1978. The extended version, featuring the harp solo from a guy called Sugar Blue, a harmonica player from the streets of Paris, soars majestically. Blues and disco combined to great effect and which opened their best selling album ever and stuck two fingers up at the punks who had ‘dissed’ the lads.

STREETS OF LOVE

And so, the ballad comes full circle with this, the single from their most recent CD, A Bigger Bang. Everything combines here, Jagger’s soulful vocals, Keith’s understated solo (as Ronnie Wood once said about guitar solos – there’s a difference between scratching yer arse and tearing it to shreds. I think he meant less is more!) and Charlie’s perfect drumming, all coming together to tell the story of unrequited love.

HONKY TONK WOMEN

Couldn’t really miss this one off the list, could I? Again, less is more. The cow-bell intro, sparse drumming, wonderful guitar in Keith’s renowned open-tuning and a spidery solo, again by Keith (who had his work cut out around that time, ’69, with the antics of Brian Jones who was never fit to do anything useful at recording sessions) and Jagger’s sneering vocal performance. He really is an outstanding singer, not given enough credit. The perfect three-minute pop song.

And finally … what should it be? Jumpin’ Jack Flash? Midnight Rambler? Angie? Shattered? Satisfaction? Could by any one of these, and maybe tomorrow it will be, but for this moment in time, why not something different?

It’s going to be …

CONTINENTAL DRIFT

What? Never heard of this one? Well you’ll find it about three quarters of the way through the Steel Wheels album of 1989, the one recorded when they got back together after the arguments between Jagger and Richards which nearly doomed the band to oblivion. This track showed that they do not (and never will) coast. They try to do different things now and again and this is a prime example, a fantastic song which evokes snake charmers, hubba pipes and the mountains of Morocco, bringing in the Pips of the Master Musicians of Jajouka who recorded with Brian Jones in the sixties. The result is an atmospheric song of changing rhythms and riffs which sucks you in and spits you out.

Just brilliant.

Top Six Films

DIRTY HARRY

‘I know what you’re thinkin’ … did he fire six shots or only five …’ Clint Eastwood stars in the first and best cop-alone-against-the-odds-kicking the shit of bureaucracy and the twisted way in which the rights of the criminal far outweigh the rights of the individual (‘Well I’m all broken up about that man’s rights,’ Harry say angrily as he tries to bring a serial killer to justice). Written originally for Frank Sinatra, then turned down by John Wayne, the film became all Clint’s. Stunning.

UNFORGIVEN

Clint again (bit of theme here, but I do think he is one of the best cinematic storytellers in the business) directing the story of an ageing gunfighter coming out of peaceful retirement who finds himself pitted against the sheriff of Big Whisky, a cruel, vindictive sadist, brilliantly played by Gene Hackman.

IN THE LINE OF FIRE

Clint again? Excellent thriller, great pace, Clint’s Secret Service agent going up against a superb villain (John Malkovich) who has vowed to kill the President of the United States. Clint’s flawed character who is haunted by his failure to protect JFK in 1963, is taunted by Malkovich, falls for Renne Russo (see the brilliant undressing scene as the guns, batons, radios etc get discarded as they tumble into bed), is held in contempt by this bosses, but eventually comes good as he closes in on the assassin.

THE GODFATHER

Sprawling, wonderful storytelling, this is a classic gangster film, using the family as the backdrop to the violence and corruption. Some great early performances by actors who later became superstars, as well as Brando’s Don Corleone. Lots of great scenes, many of which have been influential to my writing.

PULP FICTION

Tarantino’s multi-layered story, violent, brilliantly told, with great performances from John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson and Bruce Willis. Worth watching a few times to miss all the bits you missed previously.

THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY

Irreverent, bad taste comedy from the Farrelly brothers with all the performers putting their airs and graces aside and going with the flow. Cameron Diaz is outstanding as the love interest of the title and her brush with what she thinks is hair gel is a delight.