The Business of Dying (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Business of Dying is a novel written by Simon Kernick
. His first novel, Kernick introduces the character Dennis Milne who becomes the lead character in several novels. The story is a crime thriller which follows Milne, a full-time police officer and part-time hitman whose targets turn out to be customs officers and an accountant. The novel was published in the United Kingdom in 2002 by Bantam
and in the United States in 2003 by St. Martin's Minotaur
.
A book reviewer for The Daily Telegraph
wrote that the novel is an "auspicious debut which leaves me looking forward eagerly to Mr Kernick's next book." The reviewer in Booklist
wrote "Kernick's debut is compelling, dark, and suspenseful" and that "while there are a few places where his unusual plot fails to convince, Kernick clearly has a promising future". The reviewer in Publishers Weekly
wrote "Kernick does a masterful job of making Milne sympathetic, despite his callous brutalities, by combining a captivating first-person narrative with emotionally complex characterization. The portrayal of the harsh realism of the mean city streets is complemented by the revelations of the secret lives of the supporting characters with their masks of public respectability. Powerful prose, tight plotting and a clever fair-play puzzle add up to a remarkable first effort." The reviewer for the Library Journal
wrote: "Told with clarity and wit, this is an unusual but effective approach to the British police procedural from a new voice. Strongly recommended." The review in Kirkus Reviews
says "Nicely plotted and briskly paced, with a voice not unlike James M. Cain's in Double Indemnity."
drives into the car park and comes to a halt. Dennis Milne goes up to the drivers side and shoots two of the men dead the third tries to get out the car and run, but does not make it. Dennis is then seen by a girl at the back door of the hotel, but Dennis just walks away. They drive away and when they are away from the scene they set the car on fire and go their separate ways. Dennis Milne then gets stopped at a road block by the police and he has to show his ID and it turns out he is a police officer. At home he acts normal and starts a new case on a murder of a prostitute. He then finds that he killed two customs officer
s and an accountant
on the news. When he asks the guy who hired him to do the kill (Raymond Keen) he says they did something terrible and had to die for it, but does not say what it was. It gets worse when the police working on the hotel killing show a efit of Dennis. Danny then calls him to say he was being followed but Dennis does not think anything of it and says he should go on a holiday. While trying to question a woman on the prostitute case, thinking that it might be involved in what is going on, she runs away and he chases her but she gets away and he is left by himself, two people with hoodie
s walk up the street towards him and they have guns and try to kill him. After a chase, he kills one and hurts the other. He finds out who killed the hooker and wraps him up in a chair and tortures him to talk before setting him on fire. He goes up to Raymond Keen's house and kills his guards after almost being killed by them and shoots Raymond Keen and makes him talk. At the end of the book he is flying of to the Philippines
with a fake passport and a different appearance.
Simon Kernick
Simon Kernick is a British thriller/crime writer now living in Oxfordshire with his wife and two daughters.Kernick attended Gillotts School, a comprehensive in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Whilst he was a student his jobs included fruitpicker and Christmas-tree uprooter. He graduated from...
. His first novel, Kernick introduces the character Dennis Milne who becomes the lead character in several novels. The story is a crime thriller which follows Milne, a full-time police officer and part-time hitman whose targets turn out to be customs officers and an accountant. The novel was published in the United Kingdom in 2002 by Bantam
Bantam
Bantam may refer to:* Bantam , a small variety of poultry* Bantamweight, a weight class in boxing-Places:* Bantam , a city and former sultanate on Java island, in Indonesia...
and in the United States in 2003 by St. Martin's Minotaur
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
.
A book reviewer for The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
wrote that the novel is an "auspicious debut which leaves me looking forward eagerly to Mr Kernick's next book." The reviewer in Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
wrote "Kernick's debut is compelling, dark, and suspenseful" and that "while there are a few places where his unusual plot fails to convince, Kernick clearly has a promising future". The reviewer in Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
wrote "Kernick does a masterful job of making Milne sympathetic, despite his callous brutalities, by combining a captivating first-person narrative with emotionally complex characterization. The portrayal of the harsh realism of the mean city streets is complemented by the revelations of the secret lives of the supporting characters with their masks of public respectability. Powerful prose, tight plotting and a clever fair-play puzzle add up to a remarkable first effort." The reviewer for the Library Journal
Library Journal
Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...
wrote: "Told with clarity and wit, this is an unusual but effective approach to the British police procedural from a new voice. Strongly recommended." The review in Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus . Kirkus serves the book and literary trade sector, including libraries, publishers, literary and film agents, film and TV producers and booksellers. Kirkus Reviews is published on the first and 15th of each month...
says "Nicely plotted and briskly paced, with a voice not unlike James M. Cain's in Double Indemnity."
Plot
It is 9:01 pm on a cold November night, Dennis Milne and his friend Danny are waiting at the Traveler's Rest Hotel car park to kill three unarmed men they think are drug dealers. A black Jeep CherokeeJeep Cherokee (XJ)
The Jeep Cherokee is a unibody compact SUV. It shared the name of the original full-size SJ model, but without a body-on-frame chassis, it set the stage for the modern SUV. Its innovative appearance and sales popularity spawned important imitators as other automakers began to notice that this...
drives into the car park and comes to a halt. Dennis Milne goes up to the drivers side and shoots two of the men dead the third tries to get out the car and run, but does not make it. Dennis is then seen by a girl at the back door of the hotel, but Dennis just walks away. They drive away and when they are away from the scene they set the car on fire and go their separate ways. Dennis Milne then gets stopped at a road block by the police and he has to show his ID and it turns out he is a police officer. At home he acts normal and starts a new case on a murder of a prostitute. He then finds that he killed two customs officer
Customs officer
A customs officer is a law enforcement agent who enforces customs laws, on behalf of a government.-Hong Kong:4 931 posts, of which nine are directorate officers, 3 804 are members of the Customs and Excise Department, 504 are Trade Controls Officers and 614 are staff of the General and Common...
s and an accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
on the news. When he asks the guy who hired him to do the kill (Raymond Keen) he says they did something terrible and had to die for it, but does not say what it was. It gets worse when the police working on the hotel killing show a efit of Dennis. Danny then calls him to say he was being followed but Dennis does not think anything of it and says he should go on a holiday. While trying to question a woman on the prostitute case, thinking that it might be involved in what is going on, she runs away and he chases her but she gets away and he is left by himself, two people with hoodie
Hoodie
A hoodie is a sweatshirt with a hood. The characteristic design includes large frontal pockets, a hood, and a drawstring to adjust the hood opening. They are sometimes worn with sweatpants. Some hoodies have zippers on them to allow easy removal much like a jacket...
s walk up the street towards him and they have guns and try to kill him. After a chase, he kills one and hurts the other. He finds out who killed the hooker and wraps him up in a chair and tortures him to talk before setting him on fire. He goes up to Raymond Keen's house and kills his guards after almost being killed by them and shoots Raymond Keen and makes him talk. At the end of the book he is flying of to the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
with a fake passport and a different appearance.