--- product_id: 34617197 title: "London Boulevard: A Novel" brand: "ken bruen" price: "NZ$51" currency: NZD in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 category: "Books" url: https://www.desertcart.nz/products/34617197-london-boulevard-a-novel store_origin: NZ region: New Zealand --- # London Boulevard: A Novel **Brand:** ken bruen **Price:** NZ$51 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** London Boulevard: A Novel by ken bruen - **How much does it cost?** NZ$51 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.nz](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/34617197-london-boulevard-a-novel) ## Best For - ken bruen enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted ken bruen brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Review “Even tough guys are allowed to play their little games, and Ken Bruen exercises that license in London Boulevard, an unnervingly clever reworking of ‘Sunset Boulevard' that's both a homage to the 1950 Billy Wilder film and a blueprint for contemporary noir fiction.” ―Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times“This is a strong solo effort from Irish noir master Bruen, whose prose floats like a butterfly and stings like bejesus.” ―Library Journal“Bruen combines staccato prose and hard-edged dialogue with gritty realism and a terrifying look at London's dark underbelly. This one packs one hell of a powerful punch.” ―Booklist (starred review)“Noir fans will enjoy this rapid-fire thrill ride.” ―Publishers Weekly“Bruen is a master of dark crime fiction and London Boulevard further seals his affinity for the noir.” ―The South Florida Sun-Sentinel Read more About the Author KEN BRUEN has been a finalist for the Edgar and Anthony Awards, and has won a Macavity Award, a Barry Award, and two Shamus Awards for the Jack Taylor series. He has been an English teacher in Africa, Japan, Southeast Asia, and South America. He lives in Galway, Ireland. Read more ## Images ![London Boulevard: A Novel - Image 1](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51LUEMC28OL.jpg) ![London Boulevard: A Novel - Image 2](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/510-q2a7G8L.jpg) ![London Boulevard: A Novel - Image 3](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31Ral7c5wAL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "It's About Absolute Devastation" *by G***S on April 1, 2007* "Mitchell" is a hard guy. He is just out of prison after three years of payback for a brutal beating he doesn't remember. But best mate Billy Norton is waiting at the gate with a sweet setup for Mitch as the muscle for a loan shark. Though Mitchell's feeling are mixed. While the perqs that come with the leg breaking are good, he'd just as soon skip another stay at the gray bar hotel. When a job as a live-in handy man for aging actress Lillian Palmer falls into his lap, Mitchell takes a shot - if a somewhat tentative shot for the career criminal - at the straight and narrow.From this backdrop, the prolific Ken Bruen literally rips out another savage crime novel with more grit than Jones Beach and Bruen's trademark black humor. Lillian Palmer, deliciously demented and coming complete with a sexual appetite that belies her years, provides a bizarre twist to what otherwise may have been a pedestrian and often-told story of betrayal and retribution. But the real brilliance in the author's twisted logic comes in the form of "Jordan", Palmer's mysterious butler who proves to be so much more. Bruen's staccato dialogue and disregard for small annoyances like punctuation or other literary convention add to the quirky appeal of Mitchell and the eclectic cast of thugs and wankers that follow him through the pages of this razor-edged page turner, which should keep you guessing right up to the bloody last sentence.Adding to Mitch's (and Bruen's) sandpaper charm is an uncongruous and unabashed love of crime fiction and the authors that pen them, with references to Andrew Vachss, Dennis LeHane, and other masters of crime who are liberally quoted and add credibility and depth to an already addictive storyline.If you haven't read Bruen yet - an unforgivable injustice that he remains relatively unknown, at least on this side of the Atlantic - then "London Boulevard" is a great place to start what you can expect to be a long, entertaining, and brutal acquaintance. ### ⭐⭐ Mitch is no William Holden *by K***N on August 12, 2014* What if Norma Desmond (Sunset Boulevard starring Gloria Swanson and William Holden) had lived in London and fixated on a small time gangster. This blatant ripoff includes the Eastern-European-accented butler/ex-husband, the longed for "comeback," fake fan letters, and vintage cars. She even gives her boy toy a cigarette case and stages one-woman shows for him. A nice twist in the end but I've read fan fiction with more creative spark.Mitchel isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer (he spends most of the book detailing his wardrobe choices and what music he's listening to) and none of the other characters are particularly engaging. I kept waiting for it to get better but it's a mercifully quick read.Saw the movie and read the reviews but wanted to compare to the source material before making a judgment. Even though they were still cliches, Monahan gave the characters more depth particularly the actress and butler. He brought out the full menace of Gant and upped the sleaze factor in Billy. I don't fully like the revamped ending but I'm not sure how it could have been improved.All in all I prefer the movie treatment. ### ⭐⭐⭐ A pretty good read *by G***S on July 23, 2013* Having seen the movie starring Colin Farrell (which was pretty good), I was interested to read the book. It varies in a number of ways from the film and I can see why. Numerous plot points are identical to those in the Billy Wilder film Sunset Boulevard. The makers of the Farrell film must have found the parallels all too blatant. I'd cite chapter and verse, but that would spoil it for you. I have to think that author Ken Bruen's rip-off of plot points is intentional, given the similarity of the titles, Sunset Boulevard and London Boulevard. Despite that odd authorial choice, it's still not a bad read. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.nz/products/34617197-london-boulevard-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/34617197-london-boulevard-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart New Zealand* *Store origin: NZ* *Last updated: 2026-04-27*