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City of Tiny Lights by Patrick Neate
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City of Tiny Lights (edition 2006)

by Patrick Neate

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2174123,606 (3.62)5
***Now a film starring Riz Ahmed, Billie Piper, James Floyd, Cush Jumbo, Roshan Seth and Antonio Aakeel*** Meet Tommy Akhtar, Ugandan Asian cricket fan, devoted son, and not very successful private investigator with offices over his brother Gundappa's mini-cab firm in deepest West London. He's just woken up from his hangover (combing the parting on his tongue) when his next case comes through the door. It looks like just another investigation when hooker Melody comes into his office asking him to find her co-worker, Natasha, last seen meeting new client at a bar in Shepherd's Market. But as the search for Natasha intensifies, Tommy's world becomes increasingly sinister. He is drawn into a murder investigation, the criminal underworld, the world of fundamentalist religion and maybe even terrorist activities. Neate brilliantly explores the oddball underbelly and wierd cultural mix of London - The City of Tiny Lights - today and questions just what it really means to be British now. . .… (more)
Member:jquest922
Title:City of Tiny Lights
Authors:Patrick Neate
Info:Riverhead Trade (2006), Paperback, 336 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:****
Tags:detective, london, fiction, mystery, 19

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City of Tiny Lights by Patrick Neate

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» See also 5 mentions

Showing 4 of 4
A noir story about a Muslim PI in London. Interesting fresh mix. I enjoyed it quite a lot, though between the heavy British slang and the cricket metaphors there was a lot I couldn't follow. ( )
  JudyGibson | Jan 26, 2023 |
  kerns222 | Aug 24, 2016 |
I don't think that I liked this book. Maybe I am just not fond of the Noir genre, but Tiny Lights never really came together for me. I never really got into it, ( )
  Djupstrom | May 10, 2009 |
Dark comedy, I suppose, but also a classic private eye thriller with a new twist. And a different take on the so-called "war on terror" (can anyone really use that phrase without quotation marks with a straight face?) with a disturbing twist at the end.

Tommy Akhtar is the son of a Ugandan Asian who was expelled by Idi Amin. An unusual name for an Asian, many people comment, but Tommy's dad was a great fan of Tommy Cooper. Tommy is a former mujahidiin who has seen front line action against the Soviets in Afghanistan, after which he slept rough on the streets of London, moved in with his father for a while, and eventually became the archetypal hard-drinking, cynical, chain-smoking, disillusioned private eye. The book is rich with cricketing references - Tommy's old man believes life, the universe and everything can be explained in terms of cricket (with a few quotes from Churchill thrown in for good measure). There are some good portraits of London street life. Tommy's brother owns a minicab firm, which provides some nice cameos.

What starts as a simple private detective case, finding a missing hooker, takes a disturbing and violent turn and goes on to examine "terrorism" and "counter terrorism", patriotism, culture and much more (including, of course, cricket). An excellent read. ( )
1 vote John5918 | Aug 25, 2006 |
Showing 4 of 4
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I have sometimes wondered how it might have been if I hadn't opened my door that morning; hadn't said "All right, Trouble? Good to see you with your jabbing fingers, swinging fists and no insurance, household or medical."
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***Now a film starring Riz Ahmed, Billie Piper, James Floyd, Cush Jumbo, Roshan Seth and Antonio Aakeel*** Meet Tommy Akhtar, Ugandan Asian cricket fan, devoted son, and not very successful private investigator with offices over his brother Gundappa's mini-cab firm in deepest West London. He's just woken up from his hangover (combing the parting on his tongue) when his next case comes through the door. It looks like just another investigation when hooker Melody comes into his office asking him to find her co-worker, Natasha, last seen meeting new client at a bar in Shepherd's Market. But as the search for Natasha intensifies, Tommy's world becomes increasingly sinister. He is drawn into a murder investigation, the criminal underworld, the world of fundamentalist religion and maybe even terrorist activities. Neate brilliantly explores the oddball underbelly and wierd cultural mix of London - The City of Tiny Lights - today and questions just what it really means to be British now. . .

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