I'm sorry I haven't got around to reviewing this title yet. It is so old, I wondered if it was worth it in any case. Therefore, I'm rating it now without reading it, so won't be sharing it anywhere, but I won't give a low or no star review to a book I haven't even read yet, so it's getting 5 starts on NetGalley only.

Apologies.

[Sorry for delay: DRC was in a format I couldn't read, so bought and read after release.]

The sequel to THE PICTURES. This time, the story jumps forward to the late 1940s, and Hollywood fixer Jonathan Craine finds himself embroiled in a situation involving the LA mafia.

I've been reading a lot of LA-/Hollywood-based novels, recently, including many historical novels. Bolton is one of the better writers, and I've really enjoyed both of his Craine novels. A solid crime/mystery novel, with engaging and interesting characters. Definitely recommended.

Not for me. Heavy on description, light on voice. None of the distinctive prose of the best noir. DNF

The Pictures was author Guy Bolton’s entry into pure, noir fiction. The read was golden as it was retro. Why then does his follow-up, The Syndicate, lack any of that LA snap? The Pictures was smooth, single-malt brewed to a James Cain beat.

As a sequel, The Syndicate is as memorable as that last Coors Light before the keg is kicked.

Set eight years later, LAPD fixer Jonathan Craine is removed from both Hollywood and the force. He is a tired, quiet man, a fact that Bolton repeats. Constantly. Almost as much as Craine cries. Craine’s previous Bogart-chic has been repressed with Robert Reed defeat. Yet, he is pulled back to LA for one more job. This time? Find out who murdered mobster Bugsy Siegel.

Bolton, who was a master of capturing 1939’s grace, spins the style roulette in Vegas for this outing, but does nothing to enhance the stay. Name dropping Sinatra is as ubiquitous as modern-day Elvis impersonators. Bolton revives some of his charm with a cleverly-situated cat-and-mouse chase trapped within a tight time constraint. The action keeps moving, but the tale has been told before and The Syndicate suffers with repetitive fatigue.

Thanks to NetGalley and Oneworld Publications for the ARC. The Syndicate is fine, easy read, but is a flat-footed sequel when compared to The Pictures’ stiletto heights.

This book is a sequel to The Pictures. Jonathon Craine is no longer employed by the LAPD and is living in a remote ranch in Northern California, with his son Michael. Some years have passed and Word War II has come and gone. In the immediate aftermath of the war Craine is hoping to live out a quite life with his son. But this is a crime fiction novel, so I guess we know that’s not going to happen!

One day they get a surprise visit which turns their world upside down. Suddenly Craine is forced back to Los Angeles, this time in an attempt to track down the killer of mobster Bugsy Siegel. And the clock is ticking – he needs to quickly identify the killer or the life of his son, and maybe his own life too, will be forfeit.

This is a pacy thriller and along the way I learned a good deal about the genesis of Las Vegas and the high level set-up of organised crime in America at that time. Siegel and his partners – including legendary crime boss Meyer Lanskey - had invested heavily in the building of the Flamingo Hotel, but Siegel’s death threw the cat amongst the pigeons. Identifying his killer was important to Lanskey and Craine was the man appointed to do it.

What I liked about this book was that the time restriction placed on Craine meant that there was a sense of urgency in all his actions; the tension here was ever present. There were some good twists too. I also liked the mix of fact and fiction, with many real life characters flitting in and out of this tale. What I wasn’t so fond of was the fact that some actions just didn’t seem to make any sense – there were several ‘why the hell did he do that’ moments that really spoilt the cohesion of the piece for me.

If you loved book 1 then you’ll probably gorge yourself on this one too. But for me it was a bit of a missed opportunity – it’s almost a brilliant book. I believe a few tweaks here and there would have improved this immeasurably.

Smart, amazing, violent, full of real people ... and big names .. Meyer Lanky .. among others, and a retired cop trying against all odds to keep his son safe. This is a story of unlikely friends, with war going on offstage.. twists right up to the end .. suspect lawmen are involved and an intrepid reporter, fighting her easy through in wholly male dominant occupation. Really great value in many ways!

This was an excellent fast paced mob story. I did not read the first book in the series but that was not a problem at all, it totally functions as a standalone. The descriptions were vivid and I was able to place myself directly in the story! Would recommend!

Hard-nosed and snappy; this has its feet firmly in the thriller category as the pacing and writing whips along with some very good descriptions of LA that don't gloss over the problems of sex/race/class of the time. Definitely competent and took the reader on a well thought out and researched journey; the period details never felt forced, which is a risk with this kind of novel. A recommend, especially for fans of Old Hollywood.

This book opens with the killing of Bugsy Siegel. You are then taken to a farm in upstate California where a man Jonathan Crane is forced to go to Vegas where there he is given the tasked by Myra Lansky to solve the killing in five days. Going back to L.A. where he once worked for L.A.P.D. but really was a fixer for the studios. Now dealing with a police captain that does not want to help he must find someone else. That person is a crime reporter Tilda Conroy. He also has a guy sent with named Abe who follows him around. He starts putting pieces together only to find out that the FBI agent in charge is holding out with evidence. You also get a look at Hoovers look into Hollywood stars through an investigation called HUAC, The House Un-American Committee which was looking into communism in Hollywood by actors, writers, directors, mainly a witch hunt that started shortly after WWII. The author keeps the story going along with Crane wanting to find the answers so he can save his son. You as the reader are taken through L.A. greed, wealth of Hollywood, the mafia and corruption of both the L.A.P.D and the F.B.I. A good story that keeps your attention from beginning to the end. With good characters, and good descriptions of old L.A. a very good book.

'The Syndicate' is crime writer Guy Bolton's follow-up to 'The Pictures', and it's back we go to 1940s Hollywood and the golden era of movie stars and mafia dons who move about as though they own the show. Bolton not only knows how to deftly plot an intricate and thoroughly splendid thriller, he understands how to keep the reader in the palm of his hand for the duration. The setting and time in which it's set add authenticity to the already overwhelming old school feel that emanates from it. This is the unique selling point (USP) of the novel and what sets it apart from the rest of the genre. I was so intrigued by it all that I devoured it in record time and later wished I'd savoured it a little more!

Former detective Jonathan Craine has retired to rural California when he is requested to return to Las Vegas to meet mob boss Meyer Lansky he is given the unwelcome task of finding out who killed infamous mobster Bugsy Siegel in his Beverly Hills mansion. There are many stipulations that are bound to make it an almost impossible assignment, but if he can't find the murderer within five days both him and his son will lose their lives.

This is a beautifully written, gripping and perfectly executed plot, and I loved the realistic and seemingly accurate descriptions of the mob - it's evident Bolton has researched this topic meticulously. As a character, Craine is a highly motivated (well, wouldn't you be if you were promised you and your families lives would be in danger?), intelligent and independent protagonist, it's impossible not to get behind him in his quest for safety. The cliffhanger ending is most frustrating as it is set up for continuation into the third book. If you're a fan of novels which feature gangsters and the criminal underworld, you'll appreciate this one I'm sure! This is a superb follow-up, and I look forward to reading more of Bolton's work in the future. I'm already eagerly anticipating the third book in the series.

Many thanks to Oneworld Publications for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

4 stars
Thanks to Oneworld Publications for sending me this eARC through NetGalley. This is an excellent sequel to The Pictures It is now 1947, and Jonathan Craine has left the LAPD and Hollywood. He now lives on a farm in Bridgeport, California. He has managed to reconnect with his son Michael, whom he neglected until Michael's mom (and Craine's wife) committed suicide. But then a helicopter lands with armed men who want him to find Bugsy Siegel's killer. He declines, until they threaten to kill his son, cutting off 2 of Michael's fingers in the process. They give him 1 week to find the killer, or Michael dies. He does find the killer, but it is a very tense thriller/mystery, with many twists and turns. He receives help from an unlikely source, Tilda Conroy, who wrote the story that put Craine's wife on the path to suicide. She now has a guilty conscience and wants to be a reporter with integrity. The book ends with something of a small cliffhanger and setting up book 3 in the series. Although I read book 1 in the series, this can be read as a standalone.

Guy Bolton follows the superb The Pictures with this outstanding sequel with so much atmosphere that it just drips off the pages, featuring ex-LAPD detective Jonathan Craine, in reality a fixer for the Hollywood Film Studios, making the sleaze and criminal activities of major movie stars disappear. After the dangers that threatened the life of his young son, Michael, and all the horrors of his last case, Craine re-evaluates the direction of his life, his need to prioritise his son and moves to a remote farm. It is 1947, the war is over, and Craine finds his old life casts long shadows as he is given no choice but to return to Hollywood when his son's life is placed in mortal danger. New York mob boss, Meyer Lansky gives Craine 5 days to find the killer of the notoriously volatile LA mobster, Benny 'Bugsy' Siegel, famous for consorting with Hollywood's celebrity acting royalty of the day. If Craine fails, he and Michael will be murdered. He is forbidden to contact the police, and is to be accompanied at all times by the syndicate's Abraham 'Abe' Levine.

LAPD and the head of homicide, Captain Henson, are grateful to be sidelined from the murder investigation when the FBI take it over, lead by Special Agent Redhill. Tilda Conroy is a crime reporter on the most progressive newspaper in LA, rising through the ranks after stories she is not proud of. Although she has a different agenda to Craine, the two find themselves working together to get to the truth behind Siegel's murder. There is a background of paranoia where Hoover has the FBI investigating communism in Hollywood and HUAC, The House Un-American Committee's is pursuing unrelenting witch hunts. All this fuels the stress and tensions experienced by the movie studios along with the increasing number of labour strikes in the industry. With the clock ticking, Craine, a man with few skills or experience in real investigations, is forced to learn fast on his feet in his desperation, assisted by Abe, with whom he finds himself getting surprisingly close to. The FBI are suppressing key pieces of evidence, blame the New York Syndicate for the murder, and seem remarkably uninterested in solving the case. Craine follows all the slim leads he has, including the rising costs incurred by Siegel in his visionary plans to create a gambling mecca in Las Vegas with The Flamingo hotel and casino.

The casual brutality and violence of the era is well captured by Bolton in his detailed and well researched depiction of the LA and Hollywood of the time, with the powerful connections between the movie business, the mafia, the press and City Hall laid bare. In many ways, Craine is in his elements, he has long established contacts with all the major players in LA, crucial to finding who is behind Siegel's death throughout his blood drenched and harrowing investigation. This is a story of power, greed, money, betrayal, deception, secrets and corruption, with the jostling for power of different mob groups, known as the syndicates. With such powerful players at play, Craine has to reach to the limit of his resources, mental, emotional and physical, if he is to stand the slightest chance of securing the safety of his beloved son. Bolton is a gifted writer, and I hope there is another in the series as soon as possible. Absolutely stunning read, I loved this novel, particularly Craine and Abe's complex relationship and the presence of leading actors of the day, such as Robert Mitchum, Judy Garland, Humphrey Bogart and more. I adored both the period details and the gripping mystery at the heart of the novel. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Oneworld Publications for an ARC.

The Syndicate by Guy Bolton, A story of a washed-up grief ridden former detective pressed into service by the mob to find the real killer of a man the mob is accused of killing. Can he do it in time or will his only son pay the price of failure.

Well this was just fantastic.

Weirdly enough I've just read Rod Reynolds Cold Desert Sky which also looks at the life of Bugsy Siegel so to read this and delve more into his life, death and aftermath was particularly exciting.
Guy bolton recreates 1940s Hollywood with style and panache. It reads like it appear in the films and if I were old enough to remember it, I'm sure it would look the same too. He's taken some time going to the places and researching the nuances of the places and it shows. The house where the gangster was murdered, the building where gangster activity was particularly thrilling and oh Las Vegas the city of sin? This is essentially a real story interspersed with a fictional story and mystery - Caine is the character to mould the two and it really works.
I loved The Pictures and was dying to return to this world which did not disappoint. In fact I think Guy has excelled himself here. Fascinating story woven with a fast paced mystery and thriller which would be a darn good film. That's how it played out in my mind!

The syndicate was exciting, mind blowing and fuelled by gangster activity and a mystery which took in the essence of the Hollywood golden age, chewed it over and spat it out. But what a great taste of a forgotten time.

I thought that I would enjoy this booked based on the title and description but after a few chapters, I had to DNF.

For some reason I missed "The Pictures" but I am so pleased that thanks to Net Galley I have read, nay - devoured his follow up, "The Syndicate."

What a well written, exciting and perfectly plotted thriller this is.

I enjoyed it from the start and Bolton's descriptions of the mob seemed spot on.

I loved the relationship between Jonathan Craine and his son and I will now be going back to read the first book.

Highly recommended.