Reviews of SLAMMER

"Scottish writer Guthrie's prose is a series of short, sharp shocks, reeking of the visceral brutality of the toughest contemporary noir. While this won't be to everyone's taste, those who enjoy the darker side of the genre are in for some serious thrills with this, his fifth novel."
The Guardian

"Slammer is the most relentlessly page-turning novel this reviewer has come across in a long, long time, but Guthrie does so much more than just throw visceral action and sharp banter at the reader, teasing and cajoling us with red herrings and subtle foreshadowing, delving deep inside a mind that is quickly unravelling into psychotic madness. At Slammer's core is a surprisingly subtle examination of what it means to be good or evil, and how easily that distinction can become blurred. Guthrie creates empathy for all his characters – there are no faceless monsters here – and in portraying the prisoners and their guards as two sides of the same human coin, he nails a universal truth about the nature of life and about the way we differentiate good and bad, sanity and madness."
The Scotsman

"This is Guthrie's masterpiece to date, grim and brutal in tone, cunning in design and flawless in the telling. Guthrie keeps the numerous plot turns both exciting and believable. There is a surprise twist in the middle of the novel that stuns the reader and makes the pace even faster. Slammer could pretty much be filmed as is. Years from now we'll look back on Slammer as a major leap forward in Guthrie's career. Slammer is not only artful, it's real art."
Bookgasm

"After reading the synopsis, you may think you know what this book is about and you may even think you have some idea of how it will progress. You'd be dead wrong.... This is a dark jigsaw-puzzle of a book where mirrors and memories are not to be trusted anymore than Nick can trust the prisoners out to take advantage of his weaknesses... expect moments of 'oh, I see!' mingled with sharp sadness. Nick Glass is an unforgettable protagonist and Guthrie has placed him in a darkly tragic, poignant, and ultimately satisfying psychological thriller." The Drowning Machine

"Guthrie demonstrates a thorough understanding of the psychology of a man on the verge of a breakdown then goes deeper still when Glass is dipped even further into a mental abyss. It is a scarily believable decline... Slammer is at the top of my list of favourite prison stories, in any medium." Crime Scene Northern Ireland

"one of the best thrillers of the year"
The Editor's Notebook

"a nerve-wracking page turner that stands apart from Guthrie's earlier work"
Independent Crime

"potent stuff that stretches the boundaries of crime fiction"
Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine

"...Slammer is a gripping psychological crime novel. When we speak of those on the forefront of dark fiction -- those whose work scares people at a fundamental level; and those whose work we are hard pressed to try to define and pigeon hole, but can’t --Guthrie’s name is near the top of the list, and Slammer proves why."
Bookspot Central

"Slammer is a wonderfully executed novel. It is reminiscent of Guthrie’s first novel Two-Way Split, but it is better and executed with a higher skill set. It is short, 263 pages, but it does not lack meaning or story. The prose is hardboiled, lean and smart. The dialogue is crisp, and the atmosphere is weighty and oppressive. It is a fine example of the new noir: a hopeless, distraught and shameless (in a good way) vision of [the] human condition."
Gravetapping

"...an absolute masterpiece, really should be at the top of everyone's "must-read" list"
Eurocrime

"I've been reading a lot of modern noir writers, and while many of them have impressed me only two or three have absolutely thrown me for a loop and made me re-think my game. Allan Guthrie is one of those writers." Psycho-Noir