Among crime-novel aficionados, it's generally accepted that Ted Lewis established the noir school of writing in Britain, and one novel in particular got it going: Get Carter. It was first published in 1970 (as Jack's Return Home) and was made into a 1971 film adaptation. Starring Michael Caine as Carter and directed by Mike Hodges (his first film), Get Carter quickly became a cult hit. As Hodges writes in his foreword to this welcomed reissue from newly established Syndicate Books, the novel has an "enigmatic" style, and even though set in England and written by an Englishman, it's "atypically English."
Jack Carter returns to the northern mill town of his youth for the first time in eight years for his brother's funeral. It seems Frank crashed his car while drunk--but he didn't drink, so Carter's not buying it. Carter, who's a gangster in London, is a ruthless avenging angel in this gritty, dark and quite violent thriller. Even though his feelings for home and family aren't strong, he still feels the need to seek revenge. It's in his blood.
In four acts ("Thursday" through "Sunday"), Carter rumbles through town like a train out of control. Along the way, he learns that his teenaged niece Doreen is being exploited by some local scum making blue movies. One clue after another falls into place and woe to those caught in Carter's crosshairs. In fall 2014, Syndicate will publish the rest of the Carter trilogy: Jack Carter's Law and Jack Carter and the Mafia Pigeon. All three are worthy of their place in the noir pantheon. --Tom Lavoie, former publisher