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Simon Kernick:
"I loved The Big Blind. Ray Banks' rapid-fire prose takes no prisoners. It's fast, hard and tight, with a story that doesn't let go until the very last page."

Stella Artois, Jack Daniels, American Roulette and Caribbean Stud. Double glazing salesmen Alan Slater and Les Beale are out on the town, doing what they always do: getting hammered and losing money.

It all kicks off when Beale trades aggro with some Chinese lads. As always, Alan's on hand to pick up the pieces. But he's getting sick of it. Sick to his stomach.

Beale used to be a good salesman and an okay friend, but since his wife left him, he's become a bigoted, fat, falling-apart-at-the-seams, victim of drink, paranoia and his own greed. And to make matters worse, he's about to lose his job.

One thing's for sure, Alan doesn't want to be dragged down with him. There's enough on Alan's plate keeping his sales up for his boss and his pecker up for his student girlfriend. But on a dark, rainy Manchester night a road accident spells the end of his old life and the beginning of a brand new world of shite.

KEN BRUEN:
"...tears off the page like a Mack truck"