Reviews
"No one could guess that Gimme Shelter is Rob Gittins's fi rst novel because his hand is so sure in developing characters as complex as they are convincing, in managing a plot chock full of surprising twists and in maintaining a tension that keeps the reader totally absorbed… Gittins's gritty story introduces the reader to a dangerous and troubled part of society, and his murky, damaged and at times violent characters are as vividly (and disturbingly) portrayed as those of Elmore Leonard.
- Susanna Gregory
"Rob Gittins is a highly acclaimed dramatist whose work has beenenjoyed by millions in TV and radio dramas. In Gimme Shelter,his first novel, he has advanced his skills in a compelling story of modern times. He takes us into the violent and murky criminal world of witness protection where boundaries between good and evil are ill-defined. Gimme Shelter is an extraordinary achievement.
- Nicholas Rhea
"An unflinching debut… as vicious and full of twists as a tiger in a trap.
- Russell James
"A major new crime writer has given us the definitive interpretation of 'page turnability' and created characters that step effortlessly off the page and into the memory. This is a book that will haunt the reader long after the covers are closed.
- Katherine John
"TV writer Rob Gittins's ultra-violent crime debut hits hard from the start.
- Iain McDowall
"Visceral realism doesn't come much better than in this taut, superbly plotted debut, where no-one in its snake pit of lies and betrayals is as they seem. Brilliant.
- Sally Spedding
"An unflinching spotlight on the lesser-known corners of police work… noir at its most shocking.
- Rebecca Tope
"Terrifying and suspenseful, non-stop jeopardy. Just be glad you're only reading it and not in it.
- Tony Garnett
"As the plot develops two apparently different stories emerge, and by half way through, the two strands seem as unconnected as ever. Then, Gittins brings about an amazing tour de force in his plotting, and everything clicks into place. I actually had to re-read the revelatory paragraph twice, just to make sure I hadn't got it wrong... A definite contender for my book of the year... Gittins is an experienced and successful scriptwriter for screen and radio, and this is certainly a startling and original debut novel.
- Crime Fiction Lover
"This is a strong debut, well-plotted and superbly written with a sharply-realised cast that I'd very much like to see more of, even though I did have to read the book from behind the sofa, peering through my fingers and hoping that someone would keep me safe from the bogeymen populating its pages. This is not a book for the faint-hearted, but it's very much worth weathering the stomach-churning detail for a police thriller that grabs an unusual angle and runs with it, maintaining pace and tension throughout.
- Linda Wilson, Crime Review
"… full of intrigue and narrative twists… powerfully written and uncompromising in its style, the author makes use of various games, such as squash and chess, as a metaphorical sub-plot that registers the various psychological manoeuvres of the characters as they negotiate a world in which no-one is as they seem – inadequate police, psychopaths – inadequate police who are psychopaths – sexual deviants and torture junkies.
- Dufour Editions
"Gimme Shelter is an uncompromisingly traumatic book whose body count and tension incline steeply upwards from the outset… Throughout, Gittins confounds and surprises with tectonic shifts of allegiances and motivations in both the cloying corruptions and rivalries within the police service and among the criminal characters… corrosive psychological consequences which match those in the best Nicci French thrillers… this disturbing and exhilarating novel should quickly establish its author as afiction writer of universal note.
- Morning Star
