Getting Carter

The story of Ted Lewis carries historical and cultural resonances for our own troubled times 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 post-war Humberside, attending Hull College of Arts and Crafts 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 and he encountered excitement and danger in Soho drinking dens, rubbing shoulders with the 'East End boys' in gangland haunts. He wrote for Z Cars and had some nine books published. Alas, unable to repeat the commercial success of Get Carter, Lewis's life 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. Required reading for noirists, this book will enthral and move anyone who finds irresistible the old cocktail of rags to riches to rags.

Nick Triplow is the writer of crime thriller Never Walk Away and south London noir, Frank's Wild Years. His acclaimed biography of crime fiction pioneer, Ted Lewis, Getting Carter: Ted Lewis and the Birth of Brit Noir, was longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction and HRF Keating Award. Nick is also the author of the social history books, Pattie Slappers, Distant Water, and The Women They Left Behind. Originally from London, he lives in Barton-upon-Humber and is co-founder of Hull Noir Crime Fiction Festival.