A Gun for Sale

Greene's 1936 novel, A Gun For Sale, is a tough little thriller set mostly in the fictional town of Nottwich. Raven, an ice cold killer, has committed a murder that could plunge the whole of Europe into war. But he's double crossed by his employers and goes on the run, pursued by Mather of Scotland Yard, seeking to exact revenge on those who have wronged him. Meanwhile Mather's fiancé, Anne, who's supposed to be in a show in Nottwich, is caught up with Raven and is implicated as an accomplice.

It's all very pacy and Raven is quite the creation. A psychologically damaged individual (his hair-lip makes him believe he's ugly and worthless), he is a precursor in many ways of Pinkie in Greene's later novel Brighton Rock.

Light relief comes in the form of several minor characters (Major Calkin, Mrs Piker and her deranged dog for instance) but these are asides, hardly important to the main story.

This is a step up from Stamboul Train, much more plot driven, with a real sense of urgency. A quick, easy read.