Get Carter' are two words to bring a smile of fond recollection to all British film lovers of a certain age. The cinema classic was based on a book called Jack's Return Home, and many commentators agree contemporary British crime writing began with that novel. The influence of both book and film is strong to this day, reflected in the work of David Peace, Jake Arnott, Russell Lewis and the likes. But what of the man who wrote this seminal work? Ted Lewis is one of the most important writers you've never heard of. Born in Manchester in 1940, he grew up in the tough environs of postwar Humberside, attending Hull Art School before heading for London. His life described a cycle of obscurity to glamour and back to obscurity, followed by death at only 42. He sampled the bright temptations of sixties London while working in advertising, TV and films; he encountered excitement and danger in Soho drinking dens among various gangland haunts. He wrote for Z Cars and had some eight books published. Alas, the life of Ted Lewis fell apart, his marriage ended and he returned to Humberside and an all too early demise. Getting Carter is a meticulously researched and riveting account of the career of a doomed genius. Long-time admirer Nick Triplow has fashioned a thorough, sympathetic and unsparing narrative. The story of Ted Lewis carries historical and cultural resonances for our own troubled times. Required reading for noirists, Getting Carter will enthral and move anyone who finds irresistible the old cocktail of rags to riches to rags.
"LATE crime writer Lewis wrote Jack's Return Home, famously filmed as Get Carter with Michael Caine. These reissues of his less well-known work show what a talent he was. They capture the sleaze and violence of 60s London and the dark underbelly of the provinces. Jack Carter's Law is a prequel, with Jack hunting a gang informer and dangerously sleeping with his boss's wife. Billy Rags is Billy Cra
SJC, The Sun
"Getting Carter includes plenty of wonderful detail about the making of the film... there is much more to Lewis than this cult movie, as Triplow makes clear"
